Stockholm start-up Wheelys has begun testing Moby Store, an autonomous shop on wheels, on the campus of Hefei University near Shanghai. The retail space, resembling a bus, features a holographic shopkeeper greeting each customer, while payments for snacks, coffee, magazines and other everyday goods are made via smartphone. In China, where many people still use their feet to get around, there is no shortage of two-wheeled vehicles that can be rented by customers.
Stockholm start-up Wheelys has begun testing Moby Store, an autonomous shop on wheels, on the campus of Hefei University near Shanghai. The retail space, resembling a bus, features a holographic shopkeeper greeting each customer, while payments for snacks, coffee, magazines and other everyday goods are made via smartphone. Wheelys, which has moved its R&D and design departments to China, aims to introduce biometric security and an artificial intelligence-based shopkeeper.