Robo retail

The platform would be available through a leasing program and would provide a cheaper alternative to opening new brick-and-mortar stores—and, as its electric vehicles are self-driving, there are no added staffing costs. Like Amazon Go, Robomart will track customers’ purchases using checkout-free technology and charge them accordingly. The company has applied for an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and hopes to launch a pilot program in summer 2018. Robomart has already partnered with electric vehicle charging stations in the Bay Area.

The desire for automated retail isn’t limited to affluent urban areas. Beyond being ultimately convenient, Moby Mart is designed to meet the needs of people living in rural areas or in food deserts (neighborhoods with limited access to outlets selling wholesome, affordable food). The prototype is a 24-hour convenience store which has no staff or cash registers, and uses self-driving technology for both delivery and restocking. Moby, which has roots in Sweden and China, is already on the way to being greenlit in the rural municipality of Vellinge in southern Sweden.

Autonomous vehicles are a major piece of the puzzle and Toyota is leading the pack. The e-Palette concept car the company introduced at CES 2018 is centred around the mobile shopping experience. The vehicles have completely customizable interiors and could be rented by the hour for any purpose. Toyota has already entered into partnerships with brands such as Pizza Hut, Uber, Mazda, Amazon and Didi. The concept is at the forefront of tech solutions for potentially making daily life easier, according to Toyota’s chairman Akio Toyoda. “We are developing mobility solutions to help everyone enjoy their lives, and we are doing our part to create an ever better society for the next 100 years and beyond,” he says.