Marty grocery store robot

Marty is a 6-foot-3, 140-pound service robot that detects and alerts managers to spills, scans shelves for out-of-date items, and price discrepancies in over 500 GIANT/MARTIN'S, Stop & Shop, and other supermarkets across the USA.

Developed by Badger Technologies, Marty uses embedded cameras and sensors to navigate and avoid customers and store displays and costs approximately USD 35,000.

Transparency and accountability 🙈

• Unionists and civil rights activists expressed concerns that Marty could easily be used for additional purposes, thereby putting extra strain on workers and leading to job losses. Per The Counter, Ahold Delieze informed investors that it would invest in automation and AI to supplement or replace human labour. 

• 'We are partnering on technologies that are not only helping us make the customer experience even more personal and relevant but also operate more efficiently and manage labor shortages in our markets. This includes exciting new collaborations in artificial intelligence and robotics' the company said in its 2018 Annual Report.

Risks and harms 🛑

Marty the grocery store robot was accused of potential job displacement, privacy concerns relating to constant surveillance, and the normalisation of intrusive technological presence in public spaces. 

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robots-giant-food-stores-martins-and-stop-shop/

• https://mashable.com/article/stop-and-shop-marty-robots

• https://nypost.com/video/is-marty-the-grocery-store-robot-cool-or-creepy/

• https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/marty-robot-stop-shop-tiktok-surveillance/

• https://mashable.com/feature/marty-grocery-store-stop-and-shop-robot-covid-pandemic

• https://mashable.com/article/stop-and-shop-marty-robots

• https://www.aitrends.com/robotics/marty-the-robot-rolls-out-ai-in-the-supermarket/

• https://thecounter.org/supermarket-robot-automation-ai-organized-labor-stop-and-shop/

• https://www.labornotes.org/2019/05/strike-empties-shelves-stop-shop

• https://www.automate.org/blogs/who-is-marty-the-robot-and-why-do-we-need-retail-service-robots

• https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/marty-the-robot-helps-grocery-store-workers-spot-spills

• https://newfoodeconomy.org/supermarket-robot-automation-ai-organized-labor-stop-and-shop/

• https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/05/26/robots-becoming-more-normal-retailers-roll-them-out/NWKMrr1XyrDOUd8X9vSUZM/story.html