Kroger taps Corvus One for Cold Chain autonomous inventory system in live freezer ops

Corvus Robotics has announced the launch of Corvus One for Cold Chain, an autonomous inventory management system that operates continuously in freezer environments ranging from minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit to ambient temperatures.

“Operating autonomous aerial systems continuously in freezer environments is an engineering challenge most robotics platforms were never designed to handle,” says Jackie Wu, Chief Executive Officer at Corvus Robotics.

“Corvus One for Cold Chain required re-architecting thermal management, sensing, flight stability, and onboard perception so the system could maintain autonomy and accuracy despite frost, glare, airflow, and extreme temperature swings. The result is a system that performs reliably in environments that have historically defeated automation.”

Kroger is using Corvus One for Cold Chain in live freezer operations, where, the retailer says, the system is delivering consistent inventory visibility and reducing reliance on manual cycle counts in sub-zero environments.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Robotics will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.