MOORESVILLE, N.C., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall,
Lowe's will introduce LoweBot, a NAVii™ autonomous
retail service robot by Fellow Robots, in 11 Lowe's stores
throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Following a successful
robotics test of OSHbot at one of the company's Orchard Supply
Hardware stores, LoweBot will roll out in phases over a seven-month
period beginning in September in San
Jose, Calif., and will further explore how robots can meet
the needs of both customers and employees.
"For nearly two years, we've studied how robots in our San Jose
Orchard Supply Hardware store can help customers more effectively
navigate the store to find products and assist employees with
inventory scanning," said Kyle Nel,
executive director of Lowe's Innovation Labs, the company's
disruptive innovation hub. "Now, we are taking those learnings and
applying them to a focused group of Lowe's stores to see how the
technology supports a broader customer and employee base."
LoweBot will add a layer of support to amplify the trusted
advice of Lowe's employees as it helps customers with simple
questions, enabling more time for employees to focus on delivering
project expertise and personalized service. Having the ability to
scan inventory and capture real-time data with LoweBot will also
help detect patterns or gaps that will ultimately influence
business decisions.
As an omni-channel home improvement company, Lowe's is working
relentlessly to shape the future of retail and deliver simpler and
more seamless interactions with its customers. Lowe's launched
Lowe's Innovation Labs in 2014 to explore ways to meet the changing
expectations of the customer today while evolving the company's
capabilities to better serve customers in the future. Intelligent
help is just one area that the Labs is pursuing to see how emerging
technology can improve the customer experience and complement
employee project expertise.
LoweBot was developed through a partnership between Lowe's
Innovation Labs and Fellow Robots, the same Silicon Valley
technology company specializing in the design and development of
autonomous service robots that worked on the OSHbot pilot. The
partnership was initiated through SU Labs, a Singularity University
program that connects corporate innovation teams with startups and
other organizations to explore exponentially accelerating
technologies and create new sustainable business solutions.
"We designed the NAVii robot to make the shopping experience
easier for consumers – simplifying the process of finding the
product you're looking for – while also managing the back-end and
keeping shelf inventory up-to-date for the retailer," said
Marco Mascorro, chief executive
officer of Fellow Robots. "Leaving the data and simple
recommendations to NAVii allows Lowe's employees to devote their
attention to the Lowe's customer, to provide them with thoughtful
advice and personalized service."
About Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a
FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving more than
17 million customers a week in the United
States, Canada and
Mexico. With fiscal year 2015 sales of $59.1 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses
operate or service more than 2,355 home improvement and hardware
stores and employ over 285,000 employees. Founded in 1946 and based
in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's
supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on
K-12 public education and community improvement projects. For more
information, visit Lowes.com.
About Fellow Robots
Fellow Robots is at the forefront
of reimagining retail by using exponential technologies. Founded
out of Singularity University, Fellow Robots has partnered with
multiple large corporations to work on service robotics. With a
diverse team of experts experienced in robotics, software, design
and manufacturing, Fellow Robots works closely with its corporate
partners to enhance the consumer retail experience through cutting
edge robot technology.
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SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.