The subject matter of this specification generally relates to object recognition for robots. In some implementations, a method includes navigating a robot through an area to identify objects located in the area. The robot detects the presence of the objects in the area using one or more sensors. A determination is made that an object detected by the robot is not recognized by the robot. In response to determining that the object is not recognized by the robot, a user interface that includes data describing the object that is not recognized is provided. The user interface can be configured to receive user input that identifies the object. In response to interaction with the user interface, data identifying the object is received. A database for the robot is updated with the data identifying the object.