AT&T is working with Badger Technologies to bring autonomous robots equipped with 5G wireless networking capabilities to retail stores.

The autonomous robots developed by Badger Technologies – a product division of Jabil – will help retailers improve their operational efficiencies and enhance customer experiences by identifying out-of-stock, mispriced or misplaced inventory, along with store hazards. These mobile data collection systems can bridge significant gaps in the collection and sharing crucial in-store data and images and can tax a store’s existing Wi-Fi network.

These robots are being tested in a multi-access edge computing environment, allowing AT&T Foundry to provide seamless and uninterrupted network connectivity.

In addition, Badger Technologies will be helped by AT&T’s multi-access edge computing solutions to increase hyper-local data processing by providing a more private network connection instead of the usual in-store Wi-Fi. This provides Badger with more control over data and allows it to monitor the data flow.

In January, AT&T announced its 5G roadmap for business involving three pillars – namely mobile 5G, fixed wireless, edge computing – that will bring experiences ‘into the future’. The operator notes how there are 15 million businesses in America seeking innovations that provide an edge. Upcoming technologies, such as AR/VR and AI have the potential to deliver improved business outcomes with the connectivity to back it.

Picture credit: AT&T

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