The new Digital Teammate is designed to work with store associates. Source: Badger Technologies
Badger Technologies LLC last month launched its Digital Teammate platform, which includes its autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs. The company said its multipurpose robots can enhance employee productivity at retail stores.
“Badger Technologies’ robots seamlessly integrate computer vision and artificial intelligence to work as a digital teammate alongside employees in complex environments,” stated Emil Martinez, CEO of Badger Technologies. “These robots can extend staff operations and produce critical data that increase efficiencies and improve shopping experiences, creating long-lasting value for our customers.”
The Digital Teammate is designed to help people be more productive, not to replace workers, he told The Robot Report.
“It’s not any different than a typewriter,” Martinez said. “This can help ensure more human interactions.”
Founded in 2002, Badger Technologies said its systems automate hazard detection, monitor inventory, and provide data to improve product availability on shelves. The AMRs also support price integrity, store profitability, and shopping experiences, said the Nicholasville, Ky.-based division of leading technology provider Jabil Inc.
Digital Teammate increases retail visibility
Digital Teammate combines hardware and software to support a business’ existing workforce with improved inventory management capabilities, planogram compliance, hazard detection, pricing accuracy, and security monitoring, said Badger Technologies. The robot is designed to complement the company’s existing systems by incorporating RFID detection, enabling advertising through retail media networks, and expanding Badger’s data and analytics platform.
Badger added that a mobile app provides access to prioritized tasks, data, and insights to everyone from associates on the shop floor to member of the C suite.
“Twelve months ago, we talked with Jabil. We already capture information and surface it through APIs, portals, and other tools, so why don’t we use it?” recalled Martinez. “That spurred a conversation about meeting the industry where it lives. As data has exploded, we can either infuse it into what retail users are doing, or we’d have to make them all into analysts.”
With an integrated, multimodal robot, Badger can help retailers “triangulate” data by comparing what’s expected in the store with the actual inventory on the shelf, he added.
“Badger is known as a robot company, but in the eyes of a retailer of customer, what we collect and how they might use it can supercharge what they’re already doing,” Martinez said. “It’s not just inventory. We started thinking about it from a persona-based process. How do tasks get done? People handle aisles, departments, stores, and districts. The robots can pick up hazards, misplaced items, pricing, displays, and inventory with RFID.”
Badger has refined its next-gen robot for retail scanning. Source: Badger Technologies
Robot ready for rapid RFID adoption
RFID (radio frequency identification) can significantly improve accuracy and efficiency, with the ability to scan a stack of items at once rather than individually as with a scan gun, noted Badger. The company said its latest release is ready for the rapid adoption of RFID tags.
When such tags with expiration date information are integrated into product packaging, businesses can proactively manage obsolete or expired inventory. Not only does this protect consumers from potentially harmful expired food products, but this can also reduce costly waste and improve environmental sustainability, Badger said.
In addition to its new retail media display capabilities, the robot’s integrated customer-facing tablet can serve as an interactive guide, providing personalized assistance — such as directions to product locations or other site-specific guidance — and customized offers.
Badger said the convenience factor is resonating with consumers, particularly younger ones who prefer technology-enabled shopping experiences. It cited a 2024 retail innovation survey that found that 63% of Gen Z and millennial shoppers reported positive interactions with robots, appreciating their efficiency and novelty.
“The value proposition for robotics is at an industry inflection point right now,” said Martinez. “We’re opening a ‘robot college’ in Nicholasville, where the robot will operate side by side with human associates, who’ll be happy not to do mundane tasks but can do more engaging, high-value tasks.”
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Badger Technologies works to optimize operations
AMRs are optimizing operations, as businesses increasingly deploy them to address labor shortages, enhance customer experiences, and perform routine tasks, said Badger Technologies.
The company claimed that its robots can scan shelves autonomously to identify out-of-stock items and pricing inconsistencies with greater accuracy than human counterparts. For instance, at a leading hardware retailer, Badger said its technology has not only enhanced labor productivity but also improved inventory accuracy by more than 97%, having a direct effect on sales.
“The Digital Teammate feeds also feeds information about operations across stores,” said Martinez. “These cross metrics can help with training and labor optimization.”
“We see ourselves as a Swiss Army Knife rather than as a one-size-fits-all solution,” he asserted. “Partners are wrapping branding skin on our robots, and its screen could be used for targeted advertising based on the aisle it’s in. Since the robot know where everything is, it can be a full-service assistant to shoppers.”
Badger said it has deployed more than 1,000 robots that have traveled safely for more than 30 million miles at leading grocery, hardware, and home improvement retailers across the U.S. The company said it expects the Digital Teammate to be available this summer.
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