UAV? Try Shoe-A-V.
It’s a good thing Al Bundy is retired because it looks like we may inching closer to a future filled with in-store sneaker-delivering drones. As to whether or not you actually wear Crocs is an entirely different story, however the shoemaker recently replaced its salespeople with a quadcopter at a Tokyo pop-up store on March 5th.
In celebration of 10 years in Japan, the company’s “Flying Norlin Project” enables shoppers to choose a pair of shoes using a touchscreen kiosk. With a press of the “take off” button, a UAV is prompted to go grab the selected item and bring it to the customer. The drone itself is equipped with clip that holds the footwear with the help of a magnet and transports it over to a waiting basket.
While not every pair made it successfully into shoppers’ baskets on the first go-around, it was pretty darn cool nevertheless. The ‘copters have been specially adapted from commercially available products for the temporary store, which is open until March 8th. Just think, you may never have to tirelessly wait for a staff member to locate and bring out a pair of sneakers from the back ever again!
This isn’t the first brand in Japan to launch a pretty impressive PR stunt using Maker-friendly technology in recent weeks. If you recall, Dole unveiled the world’s first edible wearable, while juice company Kagome built a robotic tomato dispenser for runners.
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