In more than a dozen St. Louis area Schnucks grocery stores, you’ll see expressions ranging from confused to amused these days. The “what is that?” look being worn on all those faces is the result of a roughly five-foot tall machine rolling from aisle to aisle. The robot, known as Tally, makes a three-hour trip around a Schnucks store three times daily, checking every single shelf. When the robot finds an empty spot, it checks its inventory list and messages the store staff that there is an item in need of re-stocking.

Meet the innovators developing these robots and see the science and engineering practices they are using to make them effective in a consumer-focused environment.

---

Teacher Resources for the Video:

NGSS Disciplines Addressed in Standards Referenced Below:
• Physical Sciences

Discussion Questions:
• What examples of science and engineering practices do you see the innovators at Simbe Robotics using?
• Have you seen examples of robots being used in this way in other locations or for other purposes? Discuss what you’ve seen and how effective they’ve been.

Activity Ideas:
• Focusing on the vocabulary words included below, have students develop a position statement on the “efficiency” they think such robots could possess and how much better they’d be at dealing with “inventory.” In their position statement, students should take a side on the question: Do you think more robots like Tally should be developed to take on similar tasks for businesses?
• Use the video as part of a “robotics” unit in class. Have students research robots that are being used in public interface locations in your town and then develop a survey to gauge the public’s response to the robots.
• Use the video in a flipped learning activity. Have students come to class prepared to respond to the discussion questions above and/or share two insights they gained from the video and two questions they’d like answered through their own or class research.

Vocabulary to Consider:
• Efficiency
• Inventory

Resources for Additional Research:
• Learn more about Simbe Robotics at https://simberobotics.com/.
• Learn more about the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices at the NSTA website.

Unique ID for the Video: IinAction-63
• Use the unique ID as a shortcut for students to find this specific video. Click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Type in the Video ID as it appears above.

---