The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Autonomous Robots powered by BrainOS to be used at Walmart

By Steve Crowe | December 3, 2018


BrainOS Walmart

A BrainOS-powered autonomous floor scrubber cleaning a Walmart store. (Credit: Brain Corp.)

Walmart has been testing Brain Corp.’s BrainOS-powered autonomous floor cleaners for more than a year. Now it looks like the two companies are ready to take their relationship to the next level.

By the end of Walmart’s fiscal year, January 31, 2019, the world’s largest retailer will have 360 BrainOS-powered machines cleaning its floors across the United States. This is a significant increase. At press time, the companies said that BrainOS “automates more than a hundred” autonomous floor scrubbers for Walmart.

The expanded use of the cleaning robots will help Walmart automate repetitive tasks and free up the time of human workers.

“We’re excited to work with Brain Corp in supporting our retail operations and providing our associates with a safe and reliable technology,” said John Crecelius, Walmart’s VP of Central Operations. “BrainOS is a powerful tool in helping our associates complete repetitive tasks so they can focus on other tasks within role and spend more time serving customers.”

A human needs to initially teach the BrainOS-powered machines the layout of the stores. But after that initial demonstration, BrainOS’ combination of off-the-shelf hardware, sensors, and software kick in to enable the floor scrubbers to navigate autonomously. Brain employs a collection of cameras, sensors and LiDAR to ensure safety and obstacle avoidance. All the robots are connected to a cloud-based reporting system that allows them to be monitored and managed.

“Any crowded, indoor environment, not necessarily specific to Walmart, will present challenges through its own unique set of edge cases,” Dr. Eugene Izhikevich, CEO of San Diego-based Brain Corp, told The Robot Report. “Flashing lights, glass reflections, particles kicked up by wind – these environmental nuances, often well beyond our control, have the capacity to communicate a false positive to a robot. The robot will then stop when nothing is actually in front of it.

Must-Read: 5 Challenges When Creating Autonomous Navigation Systems

“Brain Corp has seen thousands of these edge cases through its deployments and has developed a comprehensive library of AI filters. These filters allow machines to operate smoothly and effectively in any indoor space – regardless of unique, environmental inputs.”

Izhikevich tells The Robot Report that Brain Corp is exploring other types of mobile applications, including delivery, eldercare, security and more. Brain Corp. recently led a $13.4 million Series B for Savioke, which makes autonomous delivery robots. For years, Savioke built its autonomous navigation stack from scratch using ROS. Going forward, Savioke will integrate the BrainOS platform.



“We want to focus on areas where Savioke can be unique, not on areas where we don’t have a competitive advantage,” said Savioke founder and CEO Steve Cousins. “Brain Corp. is doing some interesting stuff that is potentially game-changing in terms of the cost. They’re able to command volume pricing on sensors that we can’t. And they’re engineering things to fit together nicely.”

“While there are valuable tools out there for robotics developers – ROS, of course, comes to mind – getting a robot to move around safely and efficiently in a crowded space is incredibly difficult,” said Izhikevich. “BrainOS can save a company a substantial amount of R&D by immediately providing it with proven, foundational robotics technology, including autonomous navigation, AI libraries, data management andcloud storage.”

Izhikevich said Brain Corp. is “keen to partner with more robotics companies over the next few years.” It recently partnered with Softbank Robotics on the company’s new Whizz robot, which also happens to be an autonomous floor cleaner. The Whiz robot will go on sale in Japan in February 2019 under a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model for $222 per month.

“The flexibility of BrainOS has been proven with the launch of Whizz – a much smaller form factor than seen in Brain Corp’s original commercial scrubber efforts,” said Izhikevich.

Of course, the Softbank Vision Fund led Brain Corp.’s $114 million funding round in mid-2017. So one thing to keep an eye on, perhaps, is whether the Whizz robot will eventually replace or cut into Brain’s partnerships with commercial floor cleaning companies. When asked, Izhikevich said “Brain Corp can’t comment on SoftBank Robotics plans for Whizz other than that they are currently planning on rolling out in Japan in early 2019.”

In the past two years, Walmart has embraced dozens of technologies to lower its costs, increase operational efficiency, and better compete with Amazon and other e-commerce competitors. One of the technologies Walmart is turning to is robotics. Take a look at five robots Walmart has been testing.

Softbank Whizz Robot

SoftBank’s Whiz autonomous floor cleaning robot. (Credit: Bloomberg)

About The Author

Steve Crowe

Steve Crowe is Executive Editor, Robotics, WTWH Media, and chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo and RoboBusiness. He is also co-host of The Robot Report Podcast, the top-rated podcast for the robotics industry. He joined WTWH Media in January 2018 after spending four-plus years as Managing Editor of Robotics Trends Media. He can be reached at scrowe@wtwhmedia.com

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

RealMan Robotics offers a variety of mobile manipulators.
RealMan displays embodied robotics at Automate 2025
The Star Wars licensed G1T4-M1N1 droid.
Piaggio Fast Forward launches Star Wars licensed droid
The Gemini 435Le sensor package from Orbbec.
Orbbec designs Gemini 435Le to help robots see farther, navigate smarter
An image of ABB's Flexly P604 Visual Slam AMR.
ABB upgrades Flexley Mover AMR with visual SLAM capabilities

RBR50 Innovation Awards

“rr
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Robotics Professionals.
The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Episode of The Robot Report Podcast

Automated Warehouse Research Reports

Sponsored Content

  • Sager Electronics and its partners, logos shown here, will exhibit at the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo. Sager Electronics to exhibit at the Robotics Summit & Expo
  • The Shift in Robotics: How Visual Perception is Separating Winners from the Pack
  • An AutoStore automated storage and retrieval grid. Webinar to provide automated storage and retrieval adoption advice
  • Smaller, tougher devices for evolving demands
  • Modular motors and gearboxes make product development simple
The Robot Report
  • Mobile Robot Guide
  • Collaborative Robotics Trends
  • Field Robotics Forum
  • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe