As Walmart turns to robots, it’s the human workers who feel like machines

To Walmart executives, the Auto-C self-driving floor
scrubber is the future of retail automation — a multimillion-dollar bet
that advanced robots will optimize operations, cut costs and
revolutionize the American superstore.

But to
the workers of Walmart Supercenter No. 937 in Marietta, Ga., the machine
has a different label: “Freddy,” named for a janitor the store let go
shortly before the Auto-C rolled to life.