Walmart leads the way... in floor scrubbing robots?

Walmart is set to put a bunch of floor scrubbing robots to work in its stores by the end of Jan 2019. It's another foray into automation for the brick-and-mortar megastore, which has been deploying cutting edge automation and AI solutions in a bid to lean its operations and cut into Amazon's efficiency edge.

Also: 5 things to know about soft robotics TechRepublic

The automated floor scrubbers are powered by an OS built by Brain Corp., a San Diego-based company that's been finding lucrative automation contracts with the likes of SoftBank and others.

Brain Corp.'s BrainOS maps routes via demonstration. Walmart associates walk the floor guiding the scrubbing robots along a quick demonstration route. From then on, Brain Corp's AI kicks in and the robot scans the area that needs to be cleaned while watching out for people or new obstacles via onboard sensors.

"BrainOS technology allows robots to effectively and safely function in complex, crowded environments," says CEO Dr. Eugene Izhikevich, "ensuring increased productivity and efficiency across applications."

iRobot has built an empire off of floor cleaning robots. In the last couple years, several companies have been vying for the lucrative commercial cleaning space. Office buildings and commercial environments have the advantage of predictable, unchanging floor plans and defined hours, making commercial cleaning a ripe area for automation.

Walmart has experimented with other automation and AI solutions of late. The retailer currently has robots from hardware company Bossa Nova scanning its shelves and aggregating customer activity in select retail stores.

Also: Amazon may be building an Alexa home robot CNET

It's an attempt by Walmart to cut into Amazon's efficiency lead. The likely outcome will be a quick uptick in the number of robots consumers will see in the wild.

Beep Boop Bop: A brief history of robots, Part I

Previous and related coverage:

Robotics in business: Everything humans need to know

An executive guide to the technology and market drivers behind the $135 billion roboticsmarket.

Living Machines: A quick history of robots (Part I)

Derided as abominations or celebrated as ingenious feats of human engineering, robots have been around longer than you think.

Wanted: Robot life coach (no, really)

The unique job is a hint of what's to come as robots increasingly join us in the human world

Gorgeous robots made of high tech paper are mesmerizing

Fifty students were given this shapeshifting paper and told to let their imaginations run wild. Here's what they came up with.

Related stories:

• Robots with soft hands will transform the world. Here's why.
• The robotics gold rush is in system-agnostic add-ons
• How to train a robot with virtual reality (no coding required)
• Robot for kids named best European startup