If robots really are set to take over the world, they’re starting by taking over the restaurant. China has a new answer to the dumbwaiter in the form of robot waiters, that join the staff at their completely digital Robot Restaurant in downtown Harbin.
After being greeted at the door by the host with a cheery “Greeting earth person! Welcome to Robot Restaurant” the robot host seats you where you will be joined by your robot server who will take your order. All the robots have different names and different personalities and have been a massive hit with locals and tourists since the restaurants inception.
The restaurant has a reimagined dumbwaiter system to transport food from the kitchen to the restaurant. The mechanical servers move via a conveyor belt, similar to a conveyor system you’d find at a sushi restaurant.
The robotic waiters move via the conveyor system on a continuous loop, moving through the kitchen where mechanical arms collect the food, through to the restaurant where the same arms deliver the food to the correct table.
Waiters can work up to 5 hours before they are given a break to recharge their batteries. Waiters around the world shouldn’t be too worried about being replaced just yet, as each robot costs a massive $40,000 USD, more than double what the average human server would make in a year.
The restaurant owner is looking at developing robots which can also help with kitchen chores such as washing the dishes and mopping the floors. The restaurant itself also has a robotic dog to entertain kids as well as the ‘Singing Robot’ which will keep your table entertained until your food arrives. They are also looking to upgrade the current waiter robots to refill people’s drinks.
Could we be seeing the future of dumbwaiters, as well as the future of wining and dining?