Simbe Robotics Reveals RFID And Machine Learning Capabilities In The Latest Iteration Of Their Autonomous Inventory Robot – Tally

New inventory technology will help global retailers gain a deeper understanding of in-store product flow by conducting storewide inventory audits that sense and locate hundreds of thousands of products with 99% accuracy

San Francisco, CA (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Simbe Robotics today announced the integration of RFID and Machine Learning technology that enables Tally to capture in-store data on all RFID-tagged merchandise, from apparel to electronics, sporting goods to home decor. In addition to its pre-existing computer vision abilities, Tally now captures over 700 RFID product tags per second with higher than 99% accuracy. This frees store associates from handheld scanning devices and provides retailers with real-time insight into product availability and placement.

Simbe’s combination of RFID and computer vision within Tally is the next step in the company’s vision to solve for the $1.1 trillion in annual retail losses retailers face due to out of stocks, over stock of merchandise, and product location errors.¹ Correcting for these losses also ultimately enhances the in-store shopper experience by ensuring the products customers want are always available and in the right place.

“Simbe is constantly looking for new ways to provide retailers with greater visibility and insight into product inventory and the state of their operations. RFID sensing is a natural next step as we think about game-changing technology that will increase inventory intelligence and help retailers create a better customer experience,” said Brad Bogolea, CEO and Co-founder of Simbe Robotics. “With this launch, Simbe has become the first company in the world to combine RFID and computer vision in the same machine in scale production deployments.”

Since their inception, RFID-enabled Tally robots have scanned over 150,000 products of varying kinds, navigated safely in different retail environments and provided valuable inventory data to retailers to help optimize their product flow.

With Tally RFID, retailers benefit from:

• Precise storewide inventory audits and regular cycle counts
• Location and identification of misplaced products at sub-meter accuracy

When combined with Tally’s Computer Vision capabilities, retailers also benefit from:

• Visual audits of merchandise
• Out of stock items or low inventory alerts
• Price tag validation

“Brick and mortar retail is changing rapidly. Innovative technologies, like RFID and computer vision, are starting to become more mainstream as retailers think about how they can optimize in-store operations,” said Durgesh Tiwari, Simbe’s Vice President of Research and Development, Hardware. “Tally’s ability to read RFID is providing unprecedented product and inventory insights by harmoniously using RFID and computer vision. This can ultimately lead to a new paradigm for retail environments, with Simbe at the forefront.”

Over the past 9 months, Simbe has successfully completed domestic and international pilots to test Tally’s RFID integration with leading global retailers, and has moved to the deployment phase. RFID-enabled Tally robots are currently in scale deployments with several international retailers.

Since its unveiling in November 2015, Tally has been deployed by 11 leading international retailers and has:

• Safely navigated 4,500+ kilometers in-store alongside customers and employees
• Captured 32M+ shelf photos, analyzing over 150M+ products and shelf tags
• Completed over 7,500 hours of fully autonomous operation

Tally is equipped with the ability to return autonomously back to a charging dock between scans to allow for continuous operation. The robot includes a suite of sensors enabling it to operate reliably and safely in retail environments while capturing information on the state of merchandise in the store. The data captured by the robot is sent securely to the cloud for immediate processing and analysis. The data is then shared with key stakeholders through both an API and front-end application alongside specific recommendations to improve store performance.

Please contact sales@simberobotics.com for more information regarding pricing, pilot, or deployment program inquires.

About Simbe Robotics
Simbe Robotics is the global leader in automation solutions that give retailers unprecedented visibility and insight into the state of their store environments, while improving inventory and operational challenges. Simbe is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in San Francisco, CA and works with major worldwide retailers and brands across the US, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.simberobotics.com or follow the company at @simberobotics.

About Tally™
Tally is the world’s first fully autonomous in-store product auditing solution. Tally works in concert with retail store associates by empowering them with timely information to ensure products are always stocked, in the right place and correctly priced. Using a suite of sensors, the robot operates safely during normal store hours alongside shoppers and employees and doesn’t require any infrastructure changes to the store. Tally’s design is intuitive, friendly, and fits naturally into the retail environment. The robot scans entire stores up to three times per day and autonomously returns to its dock allowing for continuous operation. Combined with Simbe’s cloud-powered software platform, powered by computer vision and machine learning, retailers have unprecedented information and insight into the state of their stores. This information can be used to streamline store performance, maximize customer satisfaction, increase sales, and optimize operational expenditures.

¹ Retail’s $1.1 Trillion Inventory Distortion Problem - https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150506005233/en/New-Research-Report-Retailers-Lose-1.75-Trillion

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