[WriterOfMinds]

From the department of "robotics applications I'm not sure anyone needed" comes "Smiley," an autonomous mobile candy shelf that roams around the grocery store, trying to entice customers to buy things without bumping into them, and collecting data on their movements.

https://gizmodo.com/this-mars-bar-rover-will-chase-you-around-a-store-and-t-1846514705?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=dlvrit&utm_content=gizmodo

As someone who just doesn't impulse-buy candy, I think I'd find it funny ... but surely they could've come up with a better use for the technology than tempting people with sugar. 

[infurl]

The first thing that I would like to try is to place a "Free Candy" sticker on the robot and see what happens. The second thing that I would like to try is to see how hard I have to accidentally on-purpose bump it with my shopping cart to make it fall over. Maybe someone will devise a "Robot-B-Gone" clicker to shut the thing down, like those handy devices that you can use to shut down all the promotional video displays when you go to the mall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone

I doubt that robots like this will prove popular with the staff in the stores that have them, so it should be possible to get away with all sorts of pranks. Of course we might not have to push back at all. Robot security guards aren't doing so great either.

[Don Patrick]

The advanced version of this will be the equivalent of a full-on outdoor market with salesbots at every corner shouting what products they sell, how cheap they are, and how much you want them.

It does provide an interesting angle on what a future Skynet scenario could look like, robots hunting down every last human on the planet, but to sell them candy. I think I'd prefer that to the one with bullets.

[LOCKSUIT]

You know I was just thinking yesterday how when I walk into any store, really they aren't there to sell me products and items and help me, they just want, your money. This Candy Pusher is essentially an, extremely embarrassing emerged form of this showing it to be the case...

Of course, this isn't really true, but it is somewhat!!

Why not push healthy food in front of others, they push sugar because you love it and today can easily consume too much of it now. They don't care though...

[ivan.moony]

3d candy printer?