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What Happens When Robots Can Deliver Your Groceries? (venturebeat.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the meals-on-wheels dept.

"What if you could get groceries in less than two minutes without even leaving your apartment?" asks VentureBeat. "Another beer...? Think guacamole would go extremely well with those Doritos you just opened?" Several grocery-delivery startups are already working to make this a reality. Slashdot reader moglito summarizes their vision of autonomous indoor-delivery robots from automated refrigerators servicing high-rise apartment buildings. Coupled with AI algorithms for learning what residents like to consume, and algorithms for automatically restocking those items via a network of suppliers or logistics companies, this "bot-mart" could make grocery shopping a boring and time-consuming thing of the past... Will robots similarly reduce the need for a kitchen next?
Yes, the article also describes cooking robots (which can already prepare burgers, pizza, and sandwiches), as well as new automated delivery vehicles restaurants. "Perhaps the only question remaining is whether there is a business case for this," they point out -- though under some scenarios, it could actually prove cheaper than driving to the grocery store yourself. "Consumers will find it ever easier to get what they want, when they want it, where they want it."

89 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. age checking? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2

    age checking? or will this just not have 18+ or 21+ stuff to buy?

    1. Re: age checking? by dougdonovan · · Score: 1

      at least you dont have to tip them so they can hopefully pay the rent

    2. Re: age checking? by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      And what is the choices selected are refused by the client?

  2. Outside weather damage? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Outside weather damage? or will they just bill the renter like the rent a car places do?

    1. Re:Outside weather damage? by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      Outside weather damage? or will they just bill the renter like the rent a car places do?

      The car rental shop holding you responsible for weather/vandalism is your failure to take out the proper insurance policy with them when you rented.
      If you have a comprehensive insurance policy of your own on a vehicle, you may be covered on the rental, too. This would mean making a claim for the damage to the rental car and getting a hit on your insurance rates, of course.

      I commute to work and have to park outdoors. There was a time a large hailstorm was supposed to hit us in the middle of my work day. I left my car at home in the garage and rented a vehicle to take to work, taking out the appropriate insurance to cover it if it did hail on it (which it did, but not quite enough to cause damage).

    2. Re:Outside weather damage? by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Which brings up the whole saga of Uber vs Cabs/Lyft vs renting

    3. Re:Outside weather damage? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      As a storm was due, Uber's surge pricing would probably have meant he could have bought a new car for the same price.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  3. IF you live in a large city it might work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Then again, if you don't live in a large city, odds of surviving when it all turns to shit are better

    1. Re:IF you live in a large city it might work by Calydor · · Score: 1

      But until this crashes and burns (likely literally), small towns, rural areas etc. are going to have a problem with stores closing due to lack of revenue, much akin to book stores, game stores and other kinds of stores that can't really compete in a brick&mortar vs. internet fight.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    2. Re:IF you live in a large city it might work by Mitreya · · Score: 1

      IF you live in a large city it might work

      I doubt it. The automated checkout systems I have seen are a complete disaster and that's a much simpler use case
      There is a full time person there to consult when the purchase gets stuck (CVS). It gets stuck a lot.
      It is easily confused and misses you putting items in a bag after scan -- and I tried using it with 3-4 item purchase at most.
      They have completely removed the cash option in my nearby CVS (I assume it wasn't working well, other places have cash option)

      Are delivery people/cashiers so expensive? How much are they saving, anyway?

  4. Expenses by Great+Big+Bird · · Score: 1

    Right now, when I go to the grocery store I bear the cost and risk of travelling. But if the grocery store or more likely a grocery warehouse is sending out autonomous vehicles they have to bear the risk or insure it away. It would involve more people and a lot more traffic on roads.

    I have trouble seeing this working in many of the already crowded streets.

    1. Re:Expenses by rtb61 · · Score: 2

      Right now I am planing to go to the grocery store. Why a plan, because it is 2 km and that 4 km walk takes quite some time, fortunately it is downhill all the way to the grocery store, unfortunately it is uphill all the way back from the grocery store. Apparently if you do not work for your food, it will gather around your body as fat.

      This is part of the laziness diets, using laziness to moderate food intake. The battle between walking 4km for junk and carrying it back or being lazy and simply not and allowing hunger to stand voluntarily suppressed. Then there is of course cooking food, again the laziness of preparing and cooking raw ingredients to produce a snack versus just putting that snack off.

      I always prefer to achieve more than one objective at a time via a single action, so exercise and obtain groceries to burn off some of the calories I am about to prepare and then consume, although generally cooking does not occur so soon after walking 2 km up a hill.

      So just to be clear, why take every single opportunity to avoid exercise only to pay to work to achieve nothing (the work actually produces less than nothing) ie going to a gym (this as a result successful marketing targeted at gullible fools)?

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    2. Re:Expenses by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Why a plan, because it is 2 km and that 4 km walk takes quite some time, fortunately it is downhill all the way to the grocery store, unfortunately it is uphill all the way back from the grocery store.

      You kids, today. Back in my day, it was uphill both ways!

    3. Re:Expenses by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      When our chain did this, we lived in Miami - they dispatched a medium sized truck from a warehouse sometimes 50 miles away, sometimes 200 miles away, depended on what was where when... but, that truck made over a dozen deliveries, kept those people's cars off the road, out of the store parking lot, out of the checkout lines, and also reduced the big trucks going to the local stores. If the program really took hold, it could have reduced the number of stores too.

      Net - I think the direct home delivery reduces local traffic, maybe increases traffic and chaos around the warehouses, but decreases it in the neighborhoods where a single truck is doing delivery for multiple houses. The food still travels from the warehouse to your kitchen, but it doesn't have to stop off at the local store - employees don't have to drive to the store to make the shelves look pretty for you and check and bag your order, and manage those employees.

    4. Re:Expenses by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      I gather you miss the whole logical yet humorous idea of getting two vices to combat each other, the vice of laziness and the vice of gluttony. Although the view is also nice, downhill more than uphill https://www.google.com.au/maps... (nominal starting point). Still not enjoying the hotdogs (neither the vienna sausages nor roll nor slaw made from scratch ain't that fanatical, the yoghurt for desert is low sugar http://margaretriverdairy.com....) as tiredness has combined with laziness to temporarily still thwart gluttony ;D.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    5. Re:Expenses by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      It would involve more people and a lot more traffic on roads.

      I figure it would be the other way around. At the moment, grocery stores (from chatting to the driver) seem to send out vehicles on round trips, so one small van will deliver to a number of houses. If one vehicle+driver delivers to 5-10 houses, that's going to involve a lot less traffic than 5-10 people independently driving to a shop.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    6. Re:Expenses by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Current grocery delivery reduces traffic, because everybody orders a day ahead of time. If everybody's expecting a delivery 30 minutes after they order, then it will increase traffic.

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      This space intentionally left blank
    7. Re:Expenses by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      Well, TFA is talking about 30 minute delivery from within a high density residential building, like a high rise apartment. Zero road traffic in that scenario.

      One of my neighborhoods had an old gas station at the entrance, a small catering business took it over and did drive-through prepared meals, with lots of sales into the neighborhood. Their customers would stop off, literally 100 feet out of their way on the way home, and pick up fresh dinners ready to heat and eat just two minutes from their house. The caterers would buy things like mixed greens in bulk, and get good efficiency by selling dozens of dinners with fresh stuff every day. That's a plan and execute model - efficient.

      TFA is talking about the big apartment building just predicting trends and doing JIT ordering to meet typical demands from people who don't plan, they just order up beer during the football game. Different kind of system, but similar efficiency.

    8. Re:Expenses by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      No, I get it. I'm referring more to the bit where old people complain that kids today are soft. "You have school busses? Back in my day we had to walk to school!" It usually adds the "Up hill! Both ways!" which is, obviously, completely ridiculous.

      Too get a better idea, check out Monty Python's "Four Yorkshireman" skit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  5. What about more fragile groceries? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    Delivering pre-packaged cans, bottles, and jars may indeed make sense, at some point - but I'd be leery about someone else picking my produce, eggs, perhaps even potato chips - unless there's a generous return policy.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by hawguy · · Score: 2

      Delivering pre-packaged cans, bottles, and jars may indeed make sense, at some point - but I'd be leery about someone else picking my produce, eggs, perhaps even potato chips - unless there's a generous return policy.

      Why do people here talk as if grocery delivery services don't already exist? I've been getting my groceries delivered for over 2 years now (and I wasn't an early-adopter), and in the rare case that I receive something damaged or otherwise unusable, I report it and they refund me, no questions asked.

      And it's not like I'm a perfect grocery delivery person -- I've picked product that I later found to have a bad spot, I've dropped groceries on my way into the house, etc.

    2. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by erice · · Score: 1

      Delivering pre-packaged cans, bottles, and jars may indeed make sense, at some point - but I'd be leery about someone else picking my produce, eggs, perhaps even potato chips - unless there's a generous return policy.

      Not just fragile, also variable. Is the avocado at the right left of ripeness for my use? Some like their bananas green. Some like them ripe. Maybe none of the bananas are to my liking but the peaches look good. The chicken breasts are priced well but there is too much fat for what I need them for. Maybe I will use fish instead.

      I don't see how robotic or even human in the loop online grocery shopping can get consistently good results.

    3. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by ewibble · · Score: 1

      I actually think the opposite would be better being able to order small quantities of perishable items such as fruit and vegetables would save a lot of waste. Cans, bottles etc, I can buy in bulk once a week without worrying about waste.

    4. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by ewibble · · Score: 1

      How about cameras at the store? with tactile feedback gloves if you really want to squeeze those melons.

    5. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by JoeMerchant · · Score: 2

      During the Publix pilot program, the produce they shipped was only the best stuff. You could choose how green you wanted your bananas. Remember, the produce is coming direct from the warehouse to your kitchen, it doesn't have to sit in the retail bins being fondled by everyone and sprayed every 5 minutes to stay looking fresh. If you want really ripe watermelon, or something like that, it might be a problem, but mostly, the warehouse doesn't ship bad stuff to the store - the stuff goes bad while on the store shelves.

    6. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      but I'd be leery about someone else picking my produce, eggs,

      OK firstly, grocery delivery including fresh goods has been a thing for over 20 years. It isn't new and supermarkets have figured it out.

      But backing up, what do you think happens at every stage along the way? All of that stuff has already been sorted by hand. Those nice-looking veg in the tray at the supermarket are not how they come out of the ground on the whole, they're all hand selected for various things, including looks.

      Anyway, supermarkets have got this down to a fine art and people are very happy using them on the whole even though there's stiff competition from other supermarket deliveries and of course versus getting it manually instead.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    7. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by nukenerd · · Score: 2

      Home delivery has existed for years. Tried it once and it failed - robots instead of vans would make no difference.

      1) They send you the least fresh stock they have. Maybe doesn't matter if you only eat canned beans.

      2) If you choose something advertised at reduced price, they charge you full price "because the reduced price stock ran out".

      3) Half the time they send you an alternative "because what you ordered ran out". Once I got six (!) cabbages instead of 1kg carrots.

      Maybe you "have a right to complain", but fuck that hassle.

       

    8. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      I think you would find that it'd take you 10x longer to go through all the VR interfaces for each item than it'd take you to shop at the store. One of the reasons I don't get my groceries delivered often (even though Safeway keeps offering me free delivery + free item bribes to try to get me to) is that it actually takes me a lot longer to browse through their clunky interface than it does for me to cover every aisle in the store on foot. As far as I can see, delivery is only really useful for people who want to keep re-ordering the same things all the time.

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      This space intentionally left blank
    9. Re:What about more fragile groceries? by nukenerd · · Score: 1

      During the Publix pilot program, the produce they shipped was only the best stuff.

      Of course - for a pilot program.

      Remember, the produce is coming direct from the warehouse to your kitchen, it doesn't have to sit in the retail bins being fondled by everyone and sprayed every 5 minutes to stay looking fresh.... mostly, the warehouse doesn't ship bad stuff to the store - the stuff goes bad while on the store shelves.

      But if this idea takes off, the grocery store will send stuff back to the warehouse when it is getting close to its expiry date, and then the warehouse will send it out to people who have remote-ordered a delivery. That's because on a shop shelf people tend to avoid the stuff close to its date and the shop finds it difficult to shift it. Dumping it on remote customers (instead of trashing a lot of it as now) will be a God-send to the grocery compnaies.

  6. what happens? free food by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    steal the groceries, robot and all

    1. Re:what happens? free food by ElectraFlarefire · · Score: 2

      Stuff the food.. Free Robot!
      Steal enough of them and build yourself an army of evil(They are stolen after all) robot minions to do your bidding and take control! *MWAhahaha!*

    2. Re:what happens? free food by turkeydance · · Score: 1

      the thievery will be in transit. not at customer location.

    3. Re:what happens? free food by sheramil · · Score: 1

      .. if your plan for taking control involves using your evil robot minions to deliver groceries to people, sure, that'd work.

    4. Re:what happens? free food by nukenerd · · Score: 1

      Stuff the food.. Free Robot!
      Steal enough of them and build yourself an army

      Be prepared for a fight. These robots may be built like the Terminator.

  7. Really? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1

    Consumers will find it ever easier to get what they want, when they want it, where they want it

    But none of them have any money or jobs to afford them. Using the free time they have they will be hunting and gathering food.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Really? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Using the free time they have they will be hunting and gathering food.

      ...probably from robots that are delivering it to someone else.

  8. Needs a certain size of apartment building to work by Stolpskott · · Score: 1

    The way that I read the article (sorry for not following /. tradition) is that you have a central grocery distribution point within the apartment building, condo complex or similar, and in those situations it could work, and becomes more viable the larger the apartment building/complex. For small apartment buildings, or for people who live in houses, it would almost certainly not be viable or workable.
    Doing it the "other way" - you order online via and the groceries are shipped from a warehouse using some combination of delivery process that includes autonomous drones/vehicles for "last mile" service would work for all cases but is not much more efficient than current solutions and is prone to package loss/damage.

  9. temp by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    I hope these things will be able to refrigerate in hot places and heat in cold places. Different compartments for frozen food / chilled food / normal food / heated food. They're going to have to have monster power packs.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:temp by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      Fortunately, Dewar flasks and Thermos bottles weigh very little because they're empty space inside, and also can be left unattended without power for considerable periods of time. The trucks used to shuttle the goods from the warehouse or store to the building being served may be reefers and warmers, but the robots don't need to be. They just won't be in control of the food long enough for a lightweight, insulated package to fail.

      As for efficiency of scale, there are two answers to low density: charge a lot, or only deliver on a schedule so entire regions can be served at once. The former is the Pink Dot model, and the latter is the method grocery stores have used for years. The only difference would be using a robot instead of a human to complete the delivery. Getting the model to make money is a solved problem, at least in some areas.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
  10. Excellent by roman_mir · · Score: 2

    Less traffic, less congestion, no wasting time on shopping, personal buttler service for the 99% that will save us a portion of our lives in more ways than one. How many accidents happen on the roads just because of shopping?

    --
    You can't handle the truth.
    1. Re:Excellent by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      Maybe you shouldn't be on this site, you know, it being 'for nerds', some of who are actually fairly technical people that look forward towards innovation just like this one.

      --
      You can't handle the truth.
    2. Re:Excellent by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Robots just take over bike lanes, duh.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:Excellent by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      what cashiers? In a robotic door to door delivery society there will be human cashiers???

      --
      You can't handle the truth.
  11. Re:It sounds great by hawguy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you never want to leave your home. But why stop at that? Why not drug yourself strapped to the bed and get nutrition via IV? As long as the obese pay more for plane tickets and healthcare, I'm good.

    When you leave your home, do you really want to spend that time at the grocery store? I'd rather let someone else pick and deliver my groceries so I can do the things I *want* to do.... I don't find grocery shopping to be particularly pleasant.

  12. Progression by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

    Eventually food, and all goods, will go from source to consumer in a fully automated fashion. The question then becomes one of timelines and intermediary steps. Does the mentioned scenario sound like one that fits into that interim? Sure.

    1. Re:Progression by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      There's a farm in Florida that ships live greens to restaurants for salads, they're quite good when they're taken from the field within 24 hours of being served, and not even severed from their roots until minutes before you eat them. Similar things have been done with lobster for years.

  13. Re: It sounds great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    I love grocery shopping! It's one of the few reasons to go out when you live in a small town.

    A few years from now it will be like the big city where you no longer know your neighbours.

  14. Go One Step Further by craXORjack · · Score: 1

    I love the fact that robots can deliver groceries and cook my food but there is one additional task they could offload from me. You see, I have a toothache and it hurts to chew my food. If the robots could chew my food for me and just regurgitate it into my mouth without me having to get out of my recliner then I'd be all set. Well, except for emptying my catheter and colostomy bag and changing the batteries in the remote every few months.

    --
    Liberals call everyone Nazis yet they are the closest thing to it.
    1. Re:Go One Step Further by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      So much food today is already pre-chewed, think about oatmeal, cereals, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, ground beef, it just goes on and on. My wife worries about our cat choking on our food - I remind her that our cat eats uncooked squirrels, nothing on our plates is nearly as challenging to chew as an uncooked squirrel.

    2. Re:Go One Step Further by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      ...nothing on our plates is nearly as challenging to chew as an uncooked squirrel.

      You should suggest to your wife that she take a look at your cat's teeth. They don't have molars, so they're not chewing anything, be it human food, uncooked squirrel, or kibble. It all goes down the same way, basically in bite-sized hunks. (Though I did have one cat years ago who would crunch up the kibble a bit before swallowing it. Greedy sod always took too big a mouthful.)

  15. Free! by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    What happens? I get a free robot!

  16. Re: It sounds great by hawguy · · Score: 2

    I love grocery shopping! It's one of the few reasons to go out when you live in a small town.

    A few years from now it will be like the big city where you no longer know your neighbours.

    Weird, I live in a city (well, more of a large town) and I know most of my neighbors. I see many of them while we're walking to the train, I see others at local restaurants, the gym, etc. I got my most recent job through after the guy down the street introduced me to my current boss on one of our weekend bike rides.

    Now I know why I live in a city if going to the grocery store is one of the few reasons to go out in a small town.

  17. Re:It sounds great by Kjella · · Score: 4, Interesting

    When you leave your home, do you really want to spend that time at the grocery store? I'd rather let someone else pick and deliver my groceries so I can do the things I *want* to do.... I don't find grocery shopping to be particularly pleasant.

    To be honest, as long as I shop at my regular store where I know roughly where everything is I don't really spent that much longer picking the groceries than I did selecting them and it's on the way home from work so it's not a detour at all. My impression is that their main market for delivery services are elderly who can't drive a car and don't want to carry heavy shopping bags around. The other thing I see that is more mainstream here in Norway is "food boxes", basically you get a box with all the ingredients for meals for a week in correct proportions and a paint-by-numbers guide on how to make it, basically a lazier way than checking recipe sites and finding it all yourself and still get varied food. It's not that expensive either because they create these in bulk, it's quasi-institutionalized cooking except everyone prepares their own meals. Personally I'm a create of habit and can easily rotate over a relatively small number of dishes.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  18. Well there goes my by Hadlock · · Score: 1

    Well there goes my primary use case for owning a car. Boom. Gone. Uber to get to and from public transit, robots to deliver my groceries, humans to deliver whatever it is that Amazon sells that isn't groceries. You never realized until you give up shopping in stores, how much time you spend driving to/from the store, waiting in line, being sneezed on by other people's kids, packing and unpacking the car. Sweet jesus, shopping from online places like Amazon, Walmart, Target.com etc you save 3-5 hours a week. It's glorious.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
    1. Re:Well there goes my by JoeMerchant · · Score: 2

      It's nice to earn income without having to be physically present at any particular place - still hard to find good paying reliable work like that, but it's nice when you can get it.

    2. Re:Well there goes my by Leuf · · Score: 2

      I imagine that once self-driving cars become the norm you'll be able to have your car drop you off at work and then you can rent out your car to do things like pick up other people's groceries and other goods, or to drive other people around. My local grocery store chain is rolling out an online ordering system with its own parking spots and you just walk in and pick up your order. It's not a big leap from there to having your car go there to a special drive thru to pick them up without you. I can also see standardization of loading heights on vehicles to make this process fully automated. The trouble is getting your refrigerated or frozen foods taken care of at the other end without you being there to unload it,

  19. Sounds great. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    Just a few more pieces of automation and we can have farm field to home delivery fully automated. At that point, only processed foods and meat should cost money (or if you exceed a certain quantity).

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re: Sounds great. by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      No, but with current subsidy levels for things like basic grains, cheese, etc. it is basically free plus whatever the food processing / packaging industry and retail supply chain tacks on.

  20. What happens? by HalAtWork · · Score: 4, Funny

    Basically this: Robots start delivering peoples' groceries.

    --
    Twinstiq, game news
  21. For one thing ... by PPH · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... it would take all the fun out of answering the doorbell for the delivery person naked.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  22. Come on - by no-body · · Score: 1

    getting fruits, veggies or meat products that way without visually inspecting first may not be such a great thing.
    Peaches stone-hard, bananas green, lettuce tiny etc.

  23. Not interested until there's price competition by hwstar · · Score: 1

    "Consumers will find it ever easier to get what they want, when they want it, where they want it.".... At an exhorbitent price. You'll pay for that convenience until it becomes widespread and starts to displace the traditional grocery store.

  24. That's nice for dense cities by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    but most of the United States is too spread out to make this sorta thing economical.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:That's nice for dense cities by MrLogic17 · · Score: 1

      And that's why grocery delivery companies have the lifespan of a mayfly. It's been tried many, many times - and only works in wealthy high-density city centers.

      It's basically the same model as the bicycle courier. You can probably count on one hand the number of places where that exists in the US.

      The key to making this work is dropping the cost a *lot* (like less than a tenth of current costs), and some consistently good customer service in picking the food to deliver.

  25. Re:Needs a certain size of apartment building to w by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

    It's the arcology of SimCity 2000 come to life. Get everything you need without ever leaving the building. And it will work for buildings with enough people, though it seems to me it would make more sense to test it out in hotels first. Higher population density, they often have kitchens for room service already, and if people aren't pleased with the service they'll be gone in a fairly short period of time.

    For smaller buildings (or less dense ones), perhaps the robots will only be around once or twice a week, and you have to put in your order the day before so they can cover the whole building in one pass, and with one delivery truck.

    --
    How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
  26. Fat by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    What happens if robots do shopping for you? You get even more fat, awaiting the next step, when another robot will spare you the walk to the kitchen to grab food.

  27. What happens? Expectation vs Reality by b783719 · · Score: 1

    Expectation:
    Robots start delivering peoples' groceries.
    Reality:
    Poorly Designed Smart Electric Shopping Carts on sell
    (may contain Plain Text Password Security)

  28. Re:It sounds great by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

    When our local chain did home delivery for $10 per order, we happened to have a newborn and really took them up on the deal - 5% delivery fee for a $200 order, not a problem - 80%+ of our groceries came to the house via that delivery program. This was 2003, apparently it wasn't working for the store, they shut the program down after about a year's trial.

    Today, I don't think I'd pay $10 per order for delivery - I'd rather take the kids to the store just to get out in the world a little bit, but that's our personal circumstance.

  29. Why not? by Patent+Lover · · Score: 1

    Let's make America Fat Again!

  30. Re:It sounds great by hawguy · · Score: 1

    If you never want to leave your home. But why stop at that? Why not drug yourself strapped to the bed and get nutrition via IV? As long as the obese pay more for plane tickets and healthcare, I'm good.

    When you leave your home, do you really want to spend that time at the grocery store? I'd rather let someone else pick and deliver my groceries so I can do the things I *want* to do.... I don't find grocery shopping to be particularly pleasant.

    Chances are you don't find cooking particularly pleasant either, so dunno why you're bitching. Your pizza and sushi gets delivered to the Snowflake residence all the same.

    Ahh, on the contrary, I love cooking. But when I'm cooking something special, I buy my produce at the produce market and meat at the butcher, not the overwaxed produce or yesterday's random cuts of meat at the supermarket. But for everyday staples, I just have them delivered.

  31. Re:It'll be like the old days by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 2

    Once upon a time we had milk men and the world didn't seem to fall apart.

  32. and.. by s.petry · · Score: 1

    I break all the eggs and blame the robot so they get fired... :)

    Seriously though, I would not buy food online. Food is one of those things that is always better seen and checked first hand before buying. Depending on what foods look like (freshness/color) I change my recipe planning on the fly. Long ago I went to culinary school for 3 years and I love to cook. I'm very picky about what I cook and eat.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    1. Re:and.. by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Seriously though, I would not buy food online. Food is one of those things that is always better seen and checked first hand before buying. Depending on what foods look like (freshness/color) I change my recipe planning on the fly. Long ago I went to culinary school for 3 years and I love to cook. I'm very picky about what I cook and eat.

      I think we'll see a split. Those too lazy to walk out the door and show for groceries will probably have their food delivered. Considering you can get a lot of it (nonperishables) online already, this doesn't really change going to the store versus getting it delivered. (And face it, most people not going to grocery stores are getting the prepackaged stuff).

      Those who care about their food will be going for the fresh produce and meats and stuff and they'd going to their grocery stores to pick out their food.

  33. Not interested by gweihir · · Score: 2

    I use going shopping as a major part of my exercise. I usually do not go to the nearest shop either, a nice 20 minute walk each way 4 times a week or so is entirely fine. (Yes, I know that is at the low end, but far better than nothing.) The second thing is that for vegetables, fruit and meat, I like to look at what is available and not just from some pretty pictures, but the actual product.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  34. Re:no more fridges and probably less cars needed.. by Trongy · · Score: 1

    no more refrigerators and probably many less cars will be needed.

    So what do I do if I purchase a bottle of mil and some ice-cream, but I don't want to consume it all in one sitting?

  35. Endgame by PoopJuggler · · Score: 1

    Let's just cut straight to centralized municipal food paste delivery through pipes in your house and be done with it.

  36. Trying to do grocery shopping online by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

    Is often harder and more trouble than just being there and shopping.

    There is literally too much in the way of choice, and selecting what you want even without decision paralysis can and will take more time than just zipping through a store.

    Not saying it can't work but it needs some real improvements. Who knows maybe the old Idea of 3d virtual stores will make a comeback.

  37. Thanks, but no thanks by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    I don't want someone else picking out my groceries for me (especially produce, meat, cheese, and bulk food items), and I don't want a robot delivering them either.

  38. Re:It sounds great by codeButcher · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I love grocery shopping because I usually strap on a backpack and get on the bicycle to do it, so I combine the chore with exercise, in lieu of the gym etc. It's not the destination, but the getting there.

    Even more important, though, is that my shopping basket mostly consists of fresh produce and other perishables like meat and dairy. Hardly any processed foods, tins, sealed bags, boxes, or other long-shelf-life goods. Furthermore I am the single person in the household. For all these reasons, I pay close attention to the quality and freshness of the things I buy, as they need to last a couple of days at least until they are consumed and need restocking. I inspect e.g. apples and tomatoes for damage sustained during stacking (shelf packers in my city all seem to think they are handling bricks or bags full of golf balls, across maybe a dozen stores), make a selection of bananas were some are riper than others for staggered availability. I closely look at the Best Before dates and choose items that have a date furthest in the future. Wrappers are inspected for damage (e.g. cheese, butter). One head of lettuce is not fungible with another like one can of soup is with another. None of this will work too well if some could-care-less minimum wager selects items for me and subjects them to more of the same handling. We in fact do have a supermarket chain locally that offers online shopping and delivery. Last I heard, that program was on its last leg. I'm not too surprised.

    Mind that grocery retail practices (and quality) in my locale differs somewhat from what I have experienced in the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. So obviously someone else's mileage may differ.

    --
    Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
  39. About the same thing that happens now by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I just tip the delivery guy but I won't tip the robot.

    1. Re:About the same thing that happens now by houghi · · Score: 1

      I don't tip the delivery guy, but then I live in a country where tipping is not done.

      Regardless, the delivery driver will be without a job and the store can pocket a bit more. I am guessing we will start to see more and more people that are unemployed.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  40. Webvan all over again by Laxator2 · · Score: 1

    Does anyone remember Webvan ?

    Or I am the oldest /. reader ?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  41. Beer Run! by zifn4b · · Score: 1

    B double E double R U N, BEER RUN! I shouldn't have given that away now I won't be able to capitalize on it, dammit.

    --
    We'll make great pets
  42. Re:It sounds great by unixisc · · Score: 1

    If you never want to leave your home. But why stop at that? Why not drug yourself strapped to the bed and get nutrition via IV? As long as the obese pay more for plane tickets and healthcare, I'm good.

    Yeah, this is why I still like physically shopping over Amazon. But as far as some shopping goes, especially if it means big crowds, this could be better.

    The cooking however - we were discussing this in the Wendy's thread yesterday, where I pointed out that it would be more useful to automate the cooking, as opposed to the ordering.

  43. Re:It will form next in the series by unixisc · · Score: 1

    If they could automate the crop plucking process, people won't complain that losing illegal immigrants will leave them w/ half or more of their crop unplucked

  44. As a bonus the apt complex has emergency supply by gr7 · · Score: 1

    As a side bonus if there is an earthquake/hurricane/other then there is a week or so of calories stored near the apartment complex. Albeit mostly in Doritos. But still - this is a big bonus.

  45. THE MACHINE STOPS by E.M. Forster (1909) by Paul+Fernhout · · Score: 1

    The logical conclusion? http://archive.ncsa.illinois.e... "Of course," said a famous lecturer - he of the French Revolution, who gilded each new decay with splendour - "of course we shall not press our complaints now. The Mending Apparatus has treated us so well in the past that we all sympathize with it, and will wait patiently for its recovery. In its own good time it will resume its duties. Meanwhile let us do without our beds, our tabloids, our other little wants. Such, I feel sure, would be the wish of the Machine."

    --
    A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
  46. Re:It sounds great by nukenerd · · Score: 1

    my shopping basket mostly consists of fresh produce and other perishables like meat and dairy. .... I pay close attention to the quality and freshness of the things I buy, ... I closely look at the Best Before dates. None of this will work too well if some could-care-less minimum wager selects items for me

    But those pickers will care very much what they pick for you. They will be under strict instructions to pick the stuff with the closest expiry date - or be fired.

  47. Harder than it sounds by Jarik+C-Bol · · Score: 1

    This is a fun idea, but its harder than it sounds.
    Pay attention next time you're in a grocery store. Damn near everything is different shapes and sizes. Sure, canned goods have *some* standardization, but there are no less than 3 styles of cans, (nesting, non nesting, and pull top) in a dozen or more sizes. And that's just canned goods, don't even think about things like sugar and flour, which come in fucking paper bags that can be punctured by a fingertip, let alone a robot arm. There are dozens of styles of salad dressing bottles, etc. My point is, having a robot stock/select these items from a shelf, or even pick single items from a case on a pallet is, at this stage, still not really that feasible. Quite a few advancements need to be made in robotic arms to be able to universally manipulate the erratic spectrum of shapes, sizes and weights of grocery items.
    So, automatic delivery is one thing, what with your self driving delivery trucks and truck to door drones that everyone keeps raving about, but at the other end is still going to be some poor bastard rushing around a warehouse, throwing your selections into a box. maybe his job will turn into the guy who re-fills the giant soda-machine like dispenser that deals with *most* grocery items, and troubleshoots the inevitable jams it suffers from, but the level of automation this idea requires is an insanely complex system, dealing with literally hundreds of thousands of unique shapes, and this does not even address the varying degrees of durability. A plastic jar of peanut butter neatly handles a fall from 4 feet up onto a hard surface. A glass bottle of beer from the same height becomes a hilariously large mess.
    Its a fun idea, and in small scale/limited selection (like any vending machine) its probably fairly operable, but to scale it up to grocery store level is an engineering nightmare/marvel waiting to be built.

    --
    I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.