Bossa Nova Robotics is a startup robotics company that manufactures inventory control robots for use in retail stores. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California12. They are best known for an attempt to use these robots in Walmart stores. In 2018, Bossa Nova Robotics received $29 million in a funding round led by Cota Capital to go towards international expansion, software improvements, and deployment of their robots.
The robots imagined by 1950s futurists were tin people that could walk and talk. It hasn’t quite turned out that way yet), but Bossa Nova Robotics is using AI to make today’s robots more effective. Indeed, modern robots are rarely shaped like humans; Bossa Nova’s robots resemble tall vacuum cleaners. Ironically, Bossa Nova started as a robotic toy maker but now has full-scale robots in retailers, like Walmart. The robots roll up and down the shelves, spotting inventory problems and allowing cost savings on human employment.