Child Crosses Path Unannounced.
Yield discipline, not avoidance — the system pauses, signals, waits.
Domain 04 · Retail
Customers Walk Around a Robot They Don’t Trust.
A retail floor is open to a public the robot did not train on. One awkward encounter, and the aisle behaviour shifts permanently — customers avoid the lane, sales-per-square- metre drops, and nobody connects it back to the platform. The runtime exists so the unit is socially legible: visible when needed, invisible when not, never the reason somebody avoids an aisle.
01 — Environment
The Floor Is Full of Unpredictable People.
A retail robot is never alone with its task. It shares space with customers who are distracted, in a hurry, or unfamiliar with the store. The runtime treats every person as part of the operating envelope, not as an obstacle.
FloorStore · aisle · concoursePublic. Layout changes weekly. Static maps decay in hours.
OperatorsStaff · customersTwo populations. One trained, one unpredictable.
TempoVariable · by hour, by dayQuiet midday, rush hour, restocking nights. Same robot, different policy.
MemoryLayout · flow · service hot-spotsWhere people gather, where they linger, where the planogram lies.
02 — Operational signals
Anomalies the Runtime Watches on the Floor.
Aisle · 12
Rush Hour, Density Spike.
Policy shifts: slower pace, larger personal space, fewer hand-offs.
Endcap Reset Overnight.
Map version stale by 04:30. Runtime re-grounds against perception, not the plan.
Customer Turns Away Mid-Interaction.
Cue to disengage gracefully, not to follow. Runtime preserves dignity over conversion — the long-term retention is worth more.
“Aisle 9 lost 14% sales-per-metre after we put the unit there. Marketing blamed the layout. It was the platform.”Store directorHypermarket · FR
“Staff stopped greeting customers in lanes the robot was in. They didn’t want to be next to it. Nobody told us.”Operations managerRetail group · NL
02b — Economics
What Awkwardness Costs a Retail Floor.
Aisle avoidance · observed
8–20%
Sales-per-square-metre drop in lanes customers begin to route around.
Brand-trust damage
multi-quarter
An “uncomfortable” in-store experience shows up in NPS for two–three quarters.
Staff withdrawal
measurable
Staff working alongside the platform reduce floor presence near it; service quality degrades.
Pilot withdrawal · quiet
2–3 stores
Programmes typically die store-by-store, not in a single decision.
03 — Operational scenario
A Customer Is Looking for a Specific Product.
Scenario
A Specific Request, Partial Information.
A customer describes a product by use case, not by name. The store has it under a different label, in a different aisle, at a different price point than what they assumed.
STEP 01Understand the request — translate intent into the store's catalogue.
STEP 02Guide the customer through the floor without crowding them.
STEP 03Suggest alternatives if the requested item is unavailable or unsuitable.
STEP 04Present the product clearly and step out of the interaction at the right moment.
04 — Capabilities
What the Layer Adds on a Retail Floor.
/ 01
Recommendations
Real-time, store-aware product recommendations tied to stock, layout, and customer signal.
/ 02
Consultancy
Calibrated customer engagement — useful when wanted, invisible when not.
/ 03
Navigation
Wayfinding inside stores and malls, with continuous awareness of crowd flow.
/ 04
Service
Automation of routine service tasks without disrupting the customer experience.