Could Robot Workers Be Coming to a Rockford Area Schnucks?

The short answer is maybe. And, if they do, they won't look like this photo. However, a Schnucks Markets grocery store in Missouri is testing the new tech, and they're very positive about what the future may bring.

They'll look more like this:

According to a story this morning on UPI:

The Schnucks Markets grocery store in Richmond Height, Mo., was the first of three locations expected to test the new technology in the coming weeks. If all goes well, Tally the robot could be showing up in supermarkets across the country.

Tally, which is made by Sime Robotics, is a slim, black-and-white autonomous robot that moves around the store similar to a Roomba vacuum. Its task is to scan shelves to check prices, and alert employees if products need to be restocked or are incorrectly placed.

"We're starting Tally's pilot with a focus on in-stock position, but we're hopeful that Tally may open up a world of other possibilities with the shelf data it collects," said Dave Steck, Schnucks vice president of IT-Infrastructure.

Testing of Tally the Robot will go on for about six weeks, and will be done not only at the Richmond Heights Schnucks, but also at two more Schnucks stores located in Chesterfield, Missouri and in St.Louis.

After that, maybe right here in Rockford.

As you're probably aware, there are more than a few companies out there using robots. The most famous is, of course, Amazon: