Lowe's Hires Robots for the Holidays

Lowe's is hiring some new workers for the holiday season, but they're not human.

The hardware store just announced plans to test customer service robots, which will be able to help you locate items in the store, and share real-time information about product promotions and inventory. Dubbed OSHbot, the robots can speak multiple languages and remotely connect with expert employees in other locations to answer project-related questions.

Unfortunately, the robots won't yet be making an appearance at Lowe's stores nationwide. Lowe's will deploy two of the bots at its Orchard Supply Hardware store in San Jose, Calif. to see whether customers and employees embrace the technology.

The OSHbots roll right up to you, say hello, and ask what you need. They also feature 3D-scanning technology, so you can bring in a spare part, scan it under a 3D-sensing camera, and OSHbot will identify the product, tell you how much it costs, and then guide you to where you can find it on store shelves.

Lowes said the robots will provide an extra layer of support by helping customers with simple questions, giving real-life employees more time to focus on offering up product expertise.

OSHbot was developed through a partnership between Lowe's Innovation Labs and Fellow Robots, a Silicon Valley tech company that designs and develops autonomous service robots.

'Using science fiction prototyping, we explored solutions to improve customer experiences by helping customers quickly find the products and information they came in looking for,' Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe's Innovation Labs, said in a statement. 'As a result we developed autonomous retail service robot technology to be an intuitive tool customers can use to ask for help, in their preferred language, and expect a consistent experience.'

For a look at the OSHbots in action, check out the video below. Also see 20 Jobs Likely to Be Replaced by Robots (and 20 That Are Safe).

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