It seems that patents are all the rave for large store companies these days. In a previous article we talked about Amazon filing a patent for a delivery drone that be urged with hand signals. Well, today we will talk about the store chain Walmart and their patent. They plan to have entire stores internationally to have in-house drones. These drones in turn make deliveries inside the warehouses and storefronts.
They intend the drones to be one, an attraction to turn people’s heads and consider shopping at their places. Another is a more practical matter, however. Walmart hopes that this drone experiment will grow into a full-blown in-house delivery assistance service to customers.
Walmart Assistance Drone:
Drones will help them carry their things, deliver it to the cashier, or simply carry out their carts while people shop around. They also provide price checks or availability of items, just like any employee at any store can. Last but certainly not least, the drones can provide guidance in which way to go for their desired items. A large superstore can be a daunting place, and a little helping hand in what direction to go can prove invaluable.
Walmart plans to make these drones available for calling via a mobile program. It’s basically you, the consumer, asking for assistance among the available workers near you. But instead of a worker, a drone will appear and help you around the store.
And of course, like the trend with newer drones in the work force, these ones will be autonomous. Without a person managing from a control center each drone, this would improve efficiency and would leave the people with other things to do.
Similar to the Amazon patent for their own drone, however, this is all conceptual. It will take a long time and a lot of funding to make this happen. Right now it is simply a patent, or a plan, and lots of plans never come to fruition. All we can do is wait, and maybe daydream about a near future where robots do the heavy lifting for us.
