Ubica scanning robot

Ubica Robotics, a Bremen company founded in May 2020 as a spin-off of the University of Bremen, builds an autonomous shelf-scanning robot for retail stores. According to the manufacturer, the robot patrols the sales floor at night, after closing, and uses cameras with AI image processing to build a digital twin of the store: its layout and the stocking state of the shelves it passes.

It is aimed at drugstores and supermarkets that want frequent stock checks without tying up staff, with empty shelves and layout changes visible the next morning rather than after a manual count. Before a pilot, check aisle widths and anything left on the floor overnight, Wi-Fi coverage for data upload, a place to charge, and whether night cleaning or restocking crews share the aisles. The manufacturer sells the robot with a monthly software and support licence, so the way its data feeds your merchandising and replenishment tools should be scoped from the start.

Unlike the outdoor and construction machines in this range, the Ubica robot works indoors, alone and on a fixed nightly routine; its value is in the data rather than in the mechanics. The maker has not yet published a confirmed spec sheet for the current version, so ask for the exact footprint against your narrowest aisle. Robot Distribution can set up a pilot in one store and commission the night-time scanning routes.