Service Robots in Retail: Opportunities and Technical Challenges for in-store Automation

Abstract

The retail sector is experiencing transforming changes driven by service robots (SR). While SR promise benefits such as improved inventory management, increased efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction, their integration presents technical and societal challenges. Technical hurdles encompass image classification under varying conditions, data security, localization, and obstacle detection. On the societal front, concerns revolve around public perception, safety, and employee apprehension regarding job security. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of these challenges and opportunities, highlighting that while SR have considerable potential, their optimal utilization in retail may be best suited for non-human facing tasks, given the current limitations of AI in human interactions.