Kabete Poly student creates robot to improve customer service in shopping malls
Kabete National Polytechnic student Billy Mutua displays a robot during the National Assembly Education and Research Committee members' tour of the Robotics and Innovation Centre at the institution on December 5, 2023.
A Kabete National Polytechnic student has created a robot that can improve consumers' shopping experience at malls.
The innovation by Billy Mutua demonstrates how consumers can interact with commerce by seamlessly integrating robotics and advanced billing systems into the shopping mall experience.
The robot is designed to serve shopping malls and supermarkets, helping to simplify the shopping experience and save time for both customers and staff.
The experience starts with the customer giving the robot a list of products they want to buy. The robot then navigates the mall or supermarket with precision, using advanced computer vision and object recognition technologies to locate and retrieve each item.
Once the items have been collected, the robot then takes them to a billing system that uses the latest technology to bill each item.
The robot then delivers the carefully packaged products to a waiting area where customers pay, collect their parcels and leave. Customers can also manually remove products they don't need if they change their minds.
During an exhibition at Kabete National Polytechnic on Saturday, Mutua told National Assembly Educational Committee members that if the robot is adopted by shopping centres and supermarkets, it will not only save time for everyone involved but will also improve safety and hygiene by removing the need for customers to manually handle items on the shelves.
"The integration of robotics and advanced billing systems into shopping mall operations is a significant leap forward in promoting climate-smart agriculture and trade initiatives for sustainable economic growth," Mutua told the MPs.
He added that by automating and optimising every facet of the shopping journey, from list creation to billing, packaging and delivery, this initiative improves efficiency.
Chairman of the National Assembly's Education and Research Committee, Julius Melly (Tinderet MP), said the robot was a game-changing innovation that could lead to a revolution in the shopping experience.
He urged TVET students to be creative and innovative to come up with similar solutions that will create jobs for them and other Kenyans.
The principal of Kabete National Polytechnic Mr Patrick Muchemi said that the institution aims to become a leading innovation hub and provide solutions to everyday challenges.
He said the students were capable of coming up with simple solutions to difficult challenges such as developing drones to deliver medicines to patients in remote areas and to help in other crises such as food delivery during emergencies such as the current El Niño floods in the country.
Mr Melly said Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvets) colleges should come up with relevant innovations to meet the modern challenges facing the nation.
The committee visited the institution to assess the impact of TVET on innovation, one of the key goals set for TVET colleges.
Mr Melly said the committee was impressed with the progress made by Kabete National Polytechnic and Tvets to follow in the college's footsteps to get more government support for research.
