The Big Show is back, as always, the future of retail intelligence shines in New York. As global brands face rising pressure for accuracy, agility, and flawless customer experience, retailers are turning to automation that delivers real visibility, real speed, and real impact.
At NRF 2026, PAL Robotics will showcase how StockBot, the company’s autonomous RFID robot, is redefining operational excellence across warehouses, distribution centers, and store floors. From detecting ghost and hidden inventory to mapping stock in real time, StockBot brings clarity to the heart of retail operations, where decisions are made and value is created.
Driving efficiency at every step of the supply chain
StockBot reveals retailers’ real inventory by autonomously scanning and mapping stock with near 99% RFID read accuracy. Its continuous, data-rich inventory cycles eliminate manual counts, reduce errors, and integrate instantly with existing inventory management systems, turning complex logistics into clear, actionable insights.
At NRF 2026, PAL Roboticswill highlight how StockBot fits seamlessly into diverse retail environments. From reception points where incoming goods are validated instantly, to distribution centers and low-ceiling warehouses where the robot navigates dense layouts autonomously, and all the way to big-box stores and large picking centers where faster and more constant scans ensure that products are exactly where systems indicate they are.
Results that retailers can measure
StockBot addresses some of retail’s most costly challenges with clear ROI across key tasks:
- Hidden and phantom inventory detection to prevent failed pickings, maintain on-shelf availability and reduce lost sales.
- Item positioning and stock discovery to locate misplaced or unregistered products and to test money mapping in store.
- Loss prevention through real-time anomaly detection. Accurately keep your inventory data up-to-date and audit-ready.
- Sustainability gains by reducing overproduction and unnecessary transport, and ensuring all available stock is utilised before re-stocking.
With up to 12 hours of autonomy, high-performance RFID hardware, 2D lidar, and 3D perception, StockBot delivers consistent, reliable data. Day after day, one aisle at a time.
A long-term commitment to retail innovation
For more than 20 years, PAL Robotics has developed service and industrial robotic solutions used by businesses, logistics operators, and research institutions worldwide. At NRF 2026, the company reinforces its mission to help retailers adopt intelligent automation, which improves efficiency and decision-making across the supply chain, and paves the way for smarter industries.
Retail’s Big Show 2026 will highlight how StockBot is shaping a more precise, connected, and agile future for retail operations, one in which the employees focus on what really matters: the people.
About PAL Robotics
PAL Robotics started in 2004, when a small group of engineers built the first fully autonomous humanoid biped robot in Europe which also happened to play chess. Today the company is still well known for humanoid robots, as well as retail and manufacturing solutions, and develops state-of-the-art robots for companies and research institutions worldwide. PAL Robotics has also partnered in over 60 collaborative research projects with the mission to enhance people’s quality of life through service robotics and retail automation.