Wal-Mart Tests Robots for Blind Shoppers

Wal-Mart started quietly testing a Utah State University robot designed to help visually impaired consumers navigate store aisles and find their desired products.

The robot, named RG, for Robotic Guide, is the creation of Vladimir Kulyukin, an assistant professor of computer science at Utah State University and the director of the university’s Computer Science Assistive Technology Laboratory.
 
The initial version of RG, which weighs about 22 pounds and is roughly the height of an upright vacuum cleaner, is limited to three basic functions.
 
First, it guides the consumer through the aisles and around people, displays and merchandise using RFID readers and 16 ultrasonic sonars. The navigation system is sophisticated enough to handle a variety of environments (including elevators and limited open spaces) that usually trip up robots, Kulyukin said.
 
Kulyukin refused to identify the chain, but an employee in the university’s public relations department, Whitney Wilkinson, said the chain was indeed Wal-Mart. Kulyukin also said Wal-Mart was testing it locally.
 
The store manager of the Wal-Mart store in North Logan, Utah, located near the university’s labs, confirmed that RG had arrived on Thursday.
 
“It’s a great thing for the customers who don’t have their eyesight,” said Wal-Mart store manager Ron Tuttle. “We have a lot of customers who come in and ask for someone to help them. I talked with one lady and she was very excited about it because it makes her feel more independent.”
 
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