Intelligent robots for more efficient logistics and more comprehensive customer service in stationary retail - this was the idea behind the 'Refills' research project launched at the University of Bremen in 2017. Three years later, it gave rise to the start-up Ubica Robotics, which is putting the scientific findings into practice. Together with dmTech - the IT subsidiary of the drugstore chain dm-drogerie markt - Ubica and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bremen (IAI) have now been presented with the Technology Transfer Award 2022 at the European Robotics Forum in Rotterdam.

The current generation of Ubica robots can navigate independently through a retail store and recognize the stock of products on the shelves. Based on this scan, a so-called digital twin of the store is generated, which provides a wealth of important information on the operation of the store - from replenishment requirements and the best product placement to the ideal packing of pallets in the central warehouse in order to make shelf replenishment in the store as efficient and disruption-free as possible for customers.

"Ubica technologies could become a disruptive innovation in the field of intelligent robotics," emphasizes Professor Michael Beetz, Head of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI) at the University of Bremen. With the IAI and the collaborative research center EASE, which is also headed by Professor Beetz, the university is one of the world's leading research institutions at the interface of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Ubica's autonomous scanning robots use artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate the virtual environment in the form of digital twins. "What is particularly unique about this is that the robots are able to understand these digital models in detail and link them to background knowledge," explains Beetz. This ability is made possible by a combination of semantic models and data-supported learning algorithms.

So far, there are no comparable technologies in stationary retail. "Our robots enable a significant improvement in a store's internal processes," explains Georg Bartels, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Ubica. "Retailers gain a detailed and fully integrated insight into their stores in terms of data, allowing them to support the flow of goods in the store in a targeted manner." In addition, the product range can be better optimized to meet the needs of customers and arranged in the store. The connection of shopping apps is also conceivable in the future.