I was thinking about the warehouse robots created by Amazon Robotics (formerly Kiva Systems). These robots have a battery inside of them which means that the robots have to take time-out of the process to recharge (according to the Wikipedia article, 5 mins per hour, roughly 8.3%); they need to carry the weight of the battery (reducing energy efficiency); battery charging/discharging is not electrically efficient; and the battery is likely to wear out significantly earlier than other components.
It occurs to me that power could be delivered to these robots the same way power is delivered to bumper cars: either via the floor or ceiling (or both).
Thoughts as to why this wouldn't be viable: cost of the floor; health & safety risks (i.e. electrocution, risk of sparks igniting flammable materials); lower versatility.
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