Insights/Intention/purpose: We use a narrative-driven innovation process that helps us leverage the power of story to explore how technology will change the future lives of customers and employees. This process helps us find disruptive opportunity, imagine vast possibilities, and share our vision of the future with others. Our intelligent help narrative explores a future where technology which can anticipate and respond to the needs, preferences, and challenges facing our employees and customers. LoweBot is one step towards this future; we are beginning to solve key stakeholder challenges through a multifaceted platform consisting of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotics.

Adaptation of an existing platform or new innovation: LoweBot is an adaptation of OSHbot, with expanded capabilities to serve a big-box store for the first time.

Robotics: LoweBot is a fully autonomous retail robot that operates on wheels. It has two touchscreens, front and back.

Computer vision: LoweBot is equipped with sensors from top to bottom, which ensures that it can safely navigate and scan every shelf & bay in the store.

Artificial intelligence: LoweBot can speak to customers in English and Spanish. It has an inventory analytics system that can radically shift the way Lowe’s operates. It continues to learn every day.

iOS App for store employees: LoweBot scans the entire store at night and employees can easily check inventory counts each morning using an intuitive mobile application.

Web Dash for the Merchandising and Planogram team: Hosts up to date views of each aisle and bay in the store.

LoweBot is currently a prototype with plans for a larger scale roll-out in 2017.

Long-term outcomes: LoweBot represents a fundamental change in how large-scale retailers can operate. Employees are freed up from mundane tasks, to ensure that our customers are every employee’s number one focus.

Scalability: Our next stage of development is determining the scalability of LoweBot. Coming soon!

Developments to date: LoweBot drastically reduces the time it takes to scan the store. Before, it took a number of employees hours to scan the store for out-of-stocks; Just two LoweBots can do it in less than 3 hours. Furthermore, LoweBot can detect minor inconsistencies that are difficult to find with the human eye. This allows our employees to spend time more efficiently – making key inventory decisions quickly, so they can spend more time focusing on customer service. Furthermore, we saw a 25% decrease in out-of-stocks within our first two weeks scanning the entire store.

LoweBot is a platform of capabilities – computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, systems integration & automation, among others – that allow us to capture, reimagine and utilize data in exciting, new ways…even predictively. It’s helping us think differently about the future of big-box retail. Although LoweBot is currently a part of a limited proof-of-concept, we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it, in some shape or form, in a larger roll out in the near future.

Context: In 2014, Lowe’s partnered with Fellow to deploy the first autonomous retail robot in an Orchard Supply Hardware store, with the question: can robots help customers and employees alike? The answer was yes. OSHbot assisted employees with inventory scanning and guided customers to products in multiple languages. In 2016, the initial pilot phase closed and LoweBot launched in Lowe’s stores. LoweBot continues to assist employees and customers alike, while taking on new missions: monitoring planogram compliance, loss prevention, and price auditing.

Limitations/restrictions: Deploying a robot in a big-box store brought new challenges – more square footage, more obstacles, and more inventory to scan. We have realized that each store requires two robots to cover the entire square footage. Additionally, LoweBot has overcome a variety of different challenges, including an industry-wide shortage of LIDAR sensors to permanent firewalls in Lowe’s internal IT systems.