At the recent inauguration of Los Angeles’s latest rail station close to LAX, officials and journalists praised the new train platforms, escalators, elevators, and an impressive artwork above the outdoor mezzanine. Beneath the new facilities, a fully automated convenience shop utilizing robots to distribute items such as sodas, snacks, and various goods attracted significant interest.
Dubbed VenHub, the vibrant blue “Smart Store” functions around the clock without any human staff and can be accessed through an app. Orders are processed by robots equipped with suction cups or grippers, with alerts sent to the app upon completion, and a QR code unlocks the delivery window.
VenHub CEO Shahan Ohanessian clarifies that the robots, named Barb and Peter, work collaboratively. “If Peter encounters a software problem and needs to rest, Barb steps in,” he states.
VenHub stocks products including water, soda, iced coffee, chips, nuts, fruit, candy, along with non-food items like toothpaste, Tylenol, tampons, razors, Emergen-C, earpods, and phone chargers. The lack of human labor leads to reduced prices for customers, with items like Fiji water priced at $1.39, Starbucks Frappuccino at $1.89, Nature Valley granola bars at $4.99, and a USB cable at $5.99.
Ohanessian recognizes that while VenHub displaces human jobs, it simultaneously generates new employment opportunities, as staff are responsible for managing the robots and replenishing stock. “The store incorporates extensive AI and technology,” he mentions, “[The tech will] alert [headquarters] when additional stock is necessary.”
VenHub’s security measures include cameras, sensors, and bulletproof glass. Ohanessian, a former Amazon logistics executive, initiated the development of VenHub four years ago, foreseeing it as the future model for small retail outlets in areas with limited retail availability.
Additional VenHubs are positioned throughout the greater Los Angeles area, with expansion plans underway for Las Vegas and the East Coast. Ohanessian aims to popularize them in airports and collaborate with Los Angeles’s transit agency to integrate more VenHubs into the rail system.
“We’re witnessing history, the first airport to unveil the first unattended smart store,” Ohanessian remarked as robots dispensed products. “That’s the direction in which the world is moving.”