---
title: "The Maker of M&Ms Built a Robot to Chase You Around the Store With Candy"
description: "Mars Incorporated has developed an autonomous robot that will follow shoppers around a grocery store to tempt them with candy before they checkout."
date: "2021-03-21"
modified: "2021-03-21"
authors:
  - name: "Tony Ho Tran"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/ttran"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/maker-mms-built-robot-chase-you-around-store-candy"
categories:
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "ai"
  - "autonomous robot"
  - "capitalism"
  - "the digest"
---

# The Maker of M&Ms Built a Robot to Chase You Around the Store With Candy

![Mars Incorporated has developed an autonomous robot that will follow shoppers around a grocery store to tempt them with candy before they checkout.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/MOSHED-2021-3-21-11-10-32.jpg>)
*RIS News via YouTube \<em\>Image: RIS News via YouTube\</em\>*

## Sweets Cyborg

As if avoiding impulse purchases at the grocery store wasn’t hard enough, the company behind M&Ms has created an autonomous robot that follows you around as you shop for groceries to tempt you with candy.

The Mars Inc. candy company developed the robot — nicknamed "Smiley" — to follow shoppers around and offer them snacks long before they reach the checkout line, [according to ](<https://gizmodo.com/this-mars-bar-rover-will-chase-you-around-a-store-and-t-1846514705>)*[Gizmodo](<https://gizmodo.com/this-mars-bar-rover-will-chase-you-around-a-store-and-t-1846514705>).* The robot uses a variety of sensors to get around the store and approach potential customers with candy.

Watch it in action below:

https://youtu.be/zGc5R76RQbs

## Gathering Data For The Robot Uprising

Smiley wasn’t just made to sell candy, though. The robot is also gathering valuable data about customer interactions.

It uses its sensors to watch how shoppers go about the store and interact with specific products, reports *Gizmodo.* This data can help store owners create a better shopping experience for their customers in the future — and sell more products as a result.

## More Smileys To Come

So far, Mars has only released one Smiley for testing at a ShopRite grocery store in Monroe, New York. If both ShopRite and Mars find it successful, though, we might see an entire army of Smileys being unleashed on stores throughout the world.

Who knew our cyberpunk dystopia would be less [cybernetic augmentations](<https://futurism.com/six-of-todays-most-advanced-real-life-cyborgs>) and [flying cars](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/flying-cars-are-actually-finally-becoming-a-reality-in-japan>), and more creepy robots that stalk you while you try to buy groceries?

**READ MORE:** [This Mars Bar Rover Will Chase You Around a Store and Tempt You to Buy Candy](<https://gizmodo.com/this-mars-bar-rover-will-chase-you-around-a-store-and-t-1846514705>) \[*Gizmodo*\]

**More on AI:** [*Tesla’s “Fully Self Driving” Beta Would Fail a Driver’s License Test*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/teslas-autopilot-beta-would-fail-drivers-license-test>)

## Author
Tony Tran is a former reporter for Futurism, and now an editor at the Daily Beast. His work has been seen in Playboy, HuffPost, Narratively, and wherever else fine writing is published. He lives in Chicago where he frequently plans tabletop gaming sessions for his friends.