Abstract: One variation of a method for deploying a mobile robotic system to scan inventory structures within a store includes: dispatching the mobile robotic system to navigate along inventory structures within the store during a setup cycle; at the mobile robotic system, while navigating along the inventory structures during the setup cycle, capturing a set of wireless connectivity metrics representing connectivity to a first wireless network; assembling the set of wireless connectivity metrics into a wireless connectivity map of the store; estimating a processing duration from start of the scan cycle to transformation of images of the inventory structures, captured by the mobile robotic system, into a stock condition of the store; and dispatching the mobile robotic system to autonomously capture images of the inventory structures within the store during a scan cycle preceding a scheduled restocking period in the store based on the processing duration.

Abstract: One variation of a method for monitoring cooling units in a store includes: at a robotic system, during a first scan routine, autonomously navigating toward a cooling unit in the store, recording a color image of the cooling unit, and scanning a set of temperatures within the cooling unit; identifying a set of products stocked in the cooling unit based on features detected in the color image; mapping the set of temperatures to the set of products at a first time during the first scan routine based on positions of products in the set of products identified in the color image; and generating a record of temperatures of the set of products stocked in the cooling unit at the first time.

Abstract: One variation of a method for stock keeping in a store includes: accessing an image captured by a fixed camera within the store; retrieving a field of view of the fixed camera; estimating a segment of an inventory structure in the store depicted in the image based on a projection of the field of view onto a planogram of the store; identifying a set of slots within the inventory structure segment; retrieving a product model representing a set of visual characteristics of a product type assigned to a slot, in the set of slots, by the planogram; extracting a constellation of features from the image; if the constellation of features approximates the set of visual characteristics in the product model, detecting presence of a product unit of the product type occupying the inventory structure segment; and representing presence of the product unit, occupying the inventory structure segment, in a realogram.

Abstract: One variation of a method for automatically generating a planogram for a store includes: dispatching a robotic system to autonomously navigate within the store during a mapping routine; accessing a floor map of the floor space generated by the robotic system from map data collected during the mapping routine; identifying a shelving structure within the map of the floor space; defining a first set of waypoints along an aisle facing the shelving structure; dispatching the robotic system to navigate to and to capture optical data at the set of waypoints during an imaging routine; receiving a set of images generated from optical data recorded by the robotic system during the imaging routine; identifying products and positions of products in the set of images; and generating a planogram of the shelving segment based on products and positions of products identified in the set of images.

Abstract: A method for stock keeping in a store includes: accessing an image captured by a fixed camera within the store; retrieving a field of view of the fixed camera; estimating a segment of an inventory structure in the store depicted in the image based on a projection of the field of view onto a planogram of the store; identifying a set of slots within the inventory structure segment; retrieving a product model representing a set of visual characteristics of a product type assigned to a slot, in the set of slots, by the planogram; extracting a constellation of features from the image; if the constellation of features approximates the set of visual characteristics in the product model, detecting presence of a product unit of the product type occupying the inventory structure segment; and representing presence of the product unit, occupying the inventory structure segment, in a realogram.

Abstract: A method for maintaining inventory within a store includes: accessing an image (e.g., a color image, depth image) depicting an inventory structure; detecting a slot region of the image depicting a slot; identifying a product type assigned to the slot; accessing a product dimension of the product type; defining a target region within the slot in the image based on the product dimension; defining a product region within the slot in the image based on the product dimension and the target region; defining a back-of-shelf plane intersecting the target region of the image; detecting a surface within the product region; and, in response to the surface intersecting the back-of-shelf plane, identifying the slot as empty and generating a prompt to restock the slot with product units of the product type.

Abstract: One variation of a method for tracking placement of products in a store includes: accessing an image recorded by a mobile robotic system within a store; detecting a shelf in a region of the image; based on an address of the shelf, retrieving a list of products assigned to the shelf by a planogram of the store; retrieving a set of template images—from a database of template images—defining visual features of products specified in the list of products; extracting a set of features from the region of the image; determining that a unit of the product is mis-stocked on the shelf in response to deviation between the set of features and features in a template image, in the set of template images, representing the product; and in response to determining that the unit of the product is mis-stocked on the shelf, generating a restocking prompt for the product.

Abstract: One variation of a method for segmenting scenes of product units arranged in inventory structures within a store includes: accessing an image based on data captured by a mobile robotic system; detecting a shelving segment in the image; reading a segment identifier from a segment tag, detected in the image, arranged on the shelving segment; accessing a product template representing a product type in the set of product types assigned to the shelving segment based on the segment identifier; detecting a set of product features, in the first region of the image. In response to detecting the set of product features analogous to features of the product template: confirming presence of the unit of the first product type on the shelf in the shelving segment and appending the first product type to a list of product types presently stocked in the shelving segment.

Abstract: One variation of a method for deploying fixed cameras within a store includes: dispatching a robotic system to autonomously navigate along a set of inventory structures in the store and generate a spatial map of the store during a scan cycle; generating an accessibility heatmap representing accessibility of regions of the store to the robotic system based on the spatial map; generating a product value heatmap for the store based on locations and sales volumes of products in the store; accessing a number of fixed cameras allocated to the store; generating a composite heatmap for the store based on the accessibility heatmap and the product value heatmap; identifying a subset of inventory structures occupying a set of locations within the store corresponding to critical amplitudes in the composite heatmap; and generating a prompt to install the number of fixed cameras facing the subset of inventory structures in the store.

Abstract: A method for maintaining inventory within a store includes: accessing an image (e.g., a color image, depth image) depicting an inventory structure; detecting a slot region of the image depicting a slot; identifying a product type assigned to the slot; accessing a product dimension of the product type; defining a target region within the slot in the image based on the product dimension; defining a product region within the slot in the image based on the product dimension and the target region; defining a back-of-shelf plane intersecting the target region of the image; detecting a surface within the product region; and, in response to the surface intersecting the back-of-shelf plane, identifying the slot as empty and generating a prompt to restock the slot with product units of the product type.

Abstract: One variation of a method for deploying a robotic system to scan inventory within a store includes: retrieving generic recommended baseline scan frequencies assigned to a set of product types stocked in the store; annotating a map of the store according to generic recommended baseline scan frequencies and locations of the set of product types in the store; overwriting baseline scan frequencies assigned to locations in the store based on inputs from the user; accessing elapsed times since last images of slots in the store, assigned to these product types, were captured by the robotic system; calculating urgency scores for imaging these slots proportional to differences between elapsed times and their scan frequencies; and calculating a scan route that preferentially locates, within the field of view of the robotic system, locations in the store associated with higher first urgency scores over locations associated with lower first urgency scores.

Abstract: One variation of a method for maintaining perpetual inventory within a store includes: accessing a radar scan of an inventory structure within a store; accessing an optical image of the inventory structure; identifying a product type associated with the slot in a region of the optical image; retrieving a volumetric definition of the product type; locating a slot volume defining the slot in the radar scan; extracting a volumetric representation of a set of product units intersecting the slot volume in the radar scan; segmenting the volumetric representation by the volumetric definition to calculate a quantity of the set of product units occupying the slot; and updating a stock record of the store to reflect the quantity of the set of product units occupying the slot.

Abstract: One variation of a method for tracking placement of products in a store includes: accessing an image depicting a shelving structure in the store; reading a product identifier of a product from a shelf tag detected in the image; accessing a set of template features associated with the product identifier; based on the shelf tag detected in the image, locating a region in the first image depicting a slot on the shelving structure; confirming presence of a unit of the product in the slot in response to detecting features analogous to the set of template features in the region in the image; detecting absence of the product from the slot based on absence of features analogous to the set of template features in the region in the image; and in response to detecting absence of the product from the slot, generating a prompt to restock the slot.

Abstract: One variation of a method for tracking stock level within a store includes: dispatching a robotic system to image shelving structures within the store during a scan cycle; receiving images from the robotic system, each image recorded by the robotic system during the scan cycle and corresponding to one waypoint within the store; identifying, in the images, empty slots within the shelving structures; identifying a product assigned to each empty slot based on product location assignments defined in a planogram of the store; for a first product of a first product value and assigned to a first empty slot, generating a first prompt to restock the first empty slot with a unit of the first product during the scan cycle; and, upon completion of the scan cycle, generating a global restocking list specifying restocking of a set of empty slots associated with product values less than the first product value.

Abstract: One variation of a method for managing virtual shopping lists includes: dispatching robotic systems, deployed in store, to autonomously scan inventory structures within this store; deriving current stock conditions of this store based on scan data recorded by these robotic systems; initializing a virtual shopping list for a user; in response to receipt of selection of a first product, from a population of products, isolating a subset of stores, in the set of stores in the geographic region, associated with current stock conditions indicating presence of the first product and products previously added to the virtual shopping list; in response to the subset of stores including at least one store, adding a first identifier of the first product to the virtual shopping list; and specifying a particular store, in the subset of stores, for fulfillment of a set of products on the virtual shopping list.

Abstract: One variation of a method for maintaining perpetual inventory within a store includes: accessing a radar scan of an inventory structure within a store; accessing an optical image of the inventory structure; identifying a product type associated with the slot in a region of the optical image; retrieving a volumetric definition of the product type; locating a slot volume defining the slot in the radar scan; extracting a volumetric representation of a set of product units intersecting the slot volume in the radar scan; segmenting the volumetric representation by the volumetric definition to calculate a quantity of the set of product units occupying the slot; and updating a stock record of the store to reflect the quantity of the set of product units occupying the slot.

Abstract: One variation of a method for tracking stock level within a store includes: dispatching a robotic system to image shelving structures within the store during a scan cycle; receiving images from the robotic system, each image recorded by the robotic system during the scan cycle and corresponding to one waypoint within the store; identifying, in the images, empty slots within the shelving structures; identifying a product assigned to each empty slot based on product location assignments defined in a planogram of the store; for a first product of a first product value and assigned to a first empty slot, generating a first prompt to restock the first empty slot with a unit of the first product during the scan cycle; and, upon completion of the scan cycle, generating a global restocking list specifying restocking of a set of empty slots associated with product values less than the first product value.

Abstract: One variation of a method for tracking fresh produce in a store includes: accessing a first hyper-spectral image, of a produce display in a store, recorded at a first time; extracting a first spectral profile from a first region of the first hyper-spectral image depicting a first set of produce units in the produce display; identifying a first varietal of the first set of produce units; characterizing qualities (e.g., ripeness, bruising, spoilage) of the first set of produce units in the produce display based on the first spectral profile; and, in response to qualities of the first set of produce units in the produce display deviating from a target quality range assigned to the first varietal, generating a prompt to audit the first set of produce units in the produce display.

Abstract: One variation of a method for managing virtual shopping lists includes: dispatching robotic systems, deployed in store, to autonomously scan inventory structures within this store; deriving current stock conditions of this store based on scan data recorded by these robotic systems; initializing a virtual shopping list for a user; in response to receipt of selection of a first product, from a population of products, isolating a subset of stores, in the set of stores in the geographic region, associated with current stock conditions indicating presence of the first product and products previously added to the virtual shopping list; in response to the subset of stores including at least one store, adding a first identifier of the first product to the virtual shopping list; and specifying a particular store, in the subset of stores, for fulfillment of a set of products on the virtual shopping list.

Abstract: One variation of a method for tracking fresh produce in a store includes: accessing a first hyper-spectral image, of a produce display in a store, recorded at a first time; extracting a first spectral profile from a first region of the first hyper-spectral image depicting a first set of produce units in the produce display; identifying a first varietal of the first set of produce units; characterizing qualities (e.g., ripeness, bruising, spoilage) of the first set of produce units in the produce display based on the first spectral profile; and, in response to qualities of the first set of produce units in the produce display deviating from a target quality range assigned to the first varietal, generating a prompt to audit the first set of produce units in the produce display.