Bossa Nova Robotics is a startup robotics company that manufactures inventory control robots for use in retail stores. They are best known for an attempt to use these robots in Walmart stores,[1][2] in Walmart's effort to better compete with Amazon.[3][4]
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 A Bossa Nova robot scanning a shelf at a Walmart in Auburn, Washington | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Robotics |
| Founded | 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , |
Key people | |
| Website | www |
In 2018, Bossa Nova Robotics received $29 million in a funding round led by Cota Capital to go towards international expansion, software improvements and deployment of their robots.[5] China Walden Ventures, LG Electronics, Intel Capital, Lucas Venture Group, and WRV Capital also participated.[5]
Their Auto-S line of robots scanned store shelves by beaming light on them and snapping photos using 2D and 3D cameras, as well as utilizing lidar to navigate and detect if anything was stocked in a shelf.[6] From this it could detect out-of-stock items, incorrect prices, and other irregularities.[7][8]
History
editBossa Nova was founded in 2005 by students attending Carnegie Mellon University, spinning out from their Robotics Institute.[2][8] They began creating robotic toys, such as a robotic penguin and a programmable gorilla, though they did not see much success on the market.[2] In 2012, Bossa Nova unveiled a ballbot named mObi, which featured a tablet screen on the top and was to act as a personal assistant.[9]
Bossa Nova began working with Walmart to build their retail robots in 2014, though they did not have a finished version of the product until 2017, when Walmart began testing them in 50 stores.[7][3] Other, smaller stores also began to test out the product, and Walmart rolled out an additional 300 robots in 2019.[2][7][10] The robots moved at 20 centimeters a second on four wheels and used sensors to navigate around objects and shoppers.[5]
In July 2018, the company acquired Hawxeye, a computer vision and facial recognition software company.[11]
Walmart ended its contract with Bossa Nova in late 2020, triggering Bossa Nova to lay off more than 61 workers and close its European robotics division.[12] [13][14] Bossa Nova co-founder Sarjoun Skaff stated: “I cannot comment on Walmart, however, the pandemic has forced us to streamline our operations and focus on our core technologies,” said Skaff. “We have made stunning advances in AI and robotics. Our retail AI is the industry’s best and works as well on robots as with fixed cameras, and our hardware, autonomy and operations excelled in more than 500 of the world’s most challenging stores. With the board’s full support, we continue deploying this technology with our partners in retail and in other fields.” [15]
Walmart's decision to change course with Bossa Nova shows how companies need to evaluate how robots may or may not work well in less-structured settings.[16]
References
edit- ^ Schwab, Katharine (August 29, 2019). "Walmart's robot army has arrived". Fast Company. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Heater, Brian (April 10, 2019). "The startup behind Walmart's shelf-scanning robots". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Perez, Sarah (April 9, 2019). "Walmart to expand in-store tech, including Pickup Towers for online orders and robots". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Vanian, Jonathan (March 26, 2018). "Why Walmart Is Testing Robots In Stores—and Here's What It Learned". Fortune. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Khari (June 21, 2018). "Bossa Nova Robotics raises $29 million for its store inventory robot". VentureBeat. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Simon, Matt (January 12, 2018). "Please Do Not Assault the Towering Robot That Roams Walmart". Wired. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c Green, Dennis (April 15, 2019). "A small robotics company created a device retailers were clamoring for, and now Walmart is putting it in 350 stores". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Kolodny, Lora (June 21, 2018). "Bossa Nova just raised another $29 million for its grocery store robots used by Walmart". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Gaskin, James (November 8, 2012). "Bossa Nova's mObi, first 'ballbot,' rolls onstage". ITWorld. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Banker, Steve (April 19, 2019). "Walmart Expands Use of Bossa Nova's Robots from 50 to 350 Stores". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Johnson, Khari (July 18, 2018). "Bossa Nova Robotics acquires Hawxeye to improve inventory object detection". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Nassauer, Sarah (November 2, 2020). "Walmart Scraps Plan to Have Robots Scan Shelves". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ Kramer, Anna (July 1, 2020). "SF Robotics Company Lays off and Furloughs 61 Workers". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Crowe, Steve (January 11, 2021). "Bossa Nova Robotics shuts down European business unit". The Robot Report. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Vincent, James (November 3, 2020). "Walmart is giving up on shelf-scanning robots in favor of humans". The Verge. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Hamblin, Matt (November 3, 2020). "Walmart fires store robots, but Bossa Nova remains bullish". Fierce Electronics. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.