Robot Restaurant: May AI Take Your Order?

Technological advancement is one of the defining features in the twenty-first century. This is reflected in the way that we as humans are capable of taking advantage of technology to make it work for us. More recently, our use of technology has been increasingly creative. I don’t just mean iPads either. I’m talking about making technology do actual work, like these robotic waiters in China.

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This is obviously a very cool design, and the way that the restaurant works is pretty novel. The restaurant is the Dalu Robot Restaurant in Jiang, in China’s Shandong Province. The restaurant opened on December 5th, 2010, so you can tell it’s a fairly recent iteration of a very sci-fi idea.

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The restaurant has the capacity to serve 100 customers at a time, and the front of the house is managed and run by eight robots; two receptionists and six waitress bots. The restaurant is divided into a section of small tables and a large table. Two waitresses serve in each section, while the remaining two serve drinks. Oddity Central reports that the restaurant might be “hiring” soon, to keep up with demand, because the restaurant is likely to take off.

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With such a cool idea, it certainly is bound to become a hit.

In terms of the logistics of the restaurant, tables are set up along a circular path so that robots can just follow the path around without causing too much confusion on the floor. This enables the robots to deliver according to an exact and defined path in their specific sections in the restaurant.

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The restaurant isn’t run completely by robots, though. It has human staff to welcome patrons into the restaurant and of course, human cooks to prepare the food.

The design and concept belong to Shandong Dalu Science and Technology Company who are looking to expand to about forty automaton employees. It’s a move that definitely makes sense, and looks like it could prove to be fruitful in the future.

You can check out other robotic advancements as well, such as this Dreamer Meka-HCRL sociable robot or this programmable robot rover toy.

Via: DVice