Food retailers need to reduce losses from out-of-stocks and pricing discrepancies. To that end, Brain Corp. today announced the BrainOS InventoryAI Suite, which it said is designed to analyze inventory data captured by autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, running on its platform. The company also unveiled Dane AIR, an inventory scanning robot it developed with Dane Technologies.
“Our mission is straightforward: We help retailers put the right product on the right shelf at the right price,” said David Pinn, CEO of Brain Corp, in a release. “This simple value proposition drives operational improvements, cost reductions, sales uplift, and an elevated customer experience. It equips retailers with a competitive edge in today’s dynamic retail environment.”
Brain Corp said its BrainOS cloud-connected platform helps automate commercial workflows such as cleaning floors and sensing environmental data. The San Diego-based company said that its AI software currently powers more than 30,000 AMRs across multiple verticals, representing the largest fleet of its kind in the world.
Dane AIR designed to automate inventory collection
Most retailers currently track in-store inventory manually, deploying associates to identify inconsistencies among tens of thousands of SKUs. They must look for problems with product availability, price tags, and product locations, Brain Corp explained.
Automating this process with robots and AI could help grocers losses that cos them more than 6% of their total sales, according to The Food Institute.
“Designed for fully autonomous operation, Dane AIR ensures precise collection of inventory data in dynamic and public store environments while also empowering associates by allowing them to redirect their focus to other essential tasks,” said Brain Corp.
It listed the following features of the new AMR:
- Next-generation BrainOS Robotics Platform with advanced sensors for efficient, reliable performance
- BrainOS Shelf Vision and BrainOS RFID to ensure comprehensive and precise inventory capture
- Agile navigation through store aisles and intelligent rerouting for efficient scanning around store activities
- Autonomous operation with automated docking and charging
- Cloud-based smart route generation to optimize scanning efficiency
- Lithium-ion battery provides up to 12 hours of scanning operations
- Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity for communications
“Dane AIR is poised to deliver outstanding ROI [return on investment] to retailers worldwide, addressing both outdated data collection processes and the pressing challenges stemming from labor shortages in the industry,” said Dan Johnson, CEO of Dane Technologies.
“We know that effective inventory management drives profitability,” he added. “The Dane AIR’s capacity to cost effectively automate inventory data collection and provide precise, actionable insights on demand delivers a significant margin optimization opportunity for the industry.”
Founded in 1996, Dane Technologies said it helps retailers address the safety and productivity challenges of manual shopping cart retrieval and management. The Maple Grove, Minn.-based AMR provider said it has grown from a single product to a trusted name in “ergologistic” systems, serving clients in retail, industrial, distribution, transportation, and healthcare around the world.
BrainOS InventoryAI Suite
Brain Corp claimed that the BrainOS InventoryAI Suite is “an adaptable, comprehensive, AI-powered, inventory analytics solution empowering retailers to capture and leverage in-store data according to their unique needs.”
The company said its new suite enables retailers to integrate intelligence into their operations. Brain said it uses AI to identify and address critical issues including:
- Out-of-stock items
- Price tag errors
- Promotional compliance issues
- Misplaced products
- Stock counts (with RFID)
Brain Corp has been working with Dane since 2020 to develop retail AMRs.
“We’re thrilled to further our partnership with Dane Technologies and bring the next generation of inventory-scanning retail solutions to market,” stated John Black, senior vice president of strategy at Brain Corp, in November. “Retail is a rapidly evolving business with large opportunities, and this collaboration is focused squarely on delivering robotic solutions able to consistently make retailer’s lives easier, elevate their customer’s experiences and ensure their stores run even more efficiently.”
