by Anura Guruge

Click images to ENLARGE.

This was my first ever encounter with a robot at Walmart. I was not expecting to see one today. Appears, per my 13-year old daughter who spends way too much time online, that ‘Rosie’ (as she is called and even has a genuine Walmart name tag proclaiming that) is well know. She had never seen it in person, but claims to have seen plenty of videos online.

I heard ‘Rosie’ way before I saw her. She was making a lot of very objectionable and distracting electronic noises. At that stage I had no idea where all that noise was coming from.

Then I encountered her head on — as you can see from the above photos.

She would NOT get out of my way, though I was pushing a fairly heavily loaded shopping cart. We got very close to each other. We had an eye-to-TV confrontation. But, I knew that I was being recorded and possibly even watched in real time. In my old-age I am too savvy to do anything stupid and be accused of damaging Walmart property. So, I made way.

I talk to a young Walmart associate who was stocking shelves nearby. She was happy to give me the low-down.

Rosie, checks to see if the shelves are properly stocked. It automatically squawks — at the associates — if it spots anything t does not like — and I was told that it is prone to make mistakes. Appears she is not popular. I can understand that.

So, you have now been warned.

Oh, this was at Walmart in Rochester, New Hampshire — the nearest to us.

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by Anura Guruge