Restaurant In China Has Replaced Human Staff With Robot Waiters

Monday, July 20, 2015

Restaurant In China Has Replaced Human Staff With Robot Waiters

It’s official: We are living in the future.

A restaurant in China’s Zhejiang province is making global headlines after replacing all of its human waitstaff with robots.

The restaurant, which is in a mall in the city of Ningbo, is run by 48-year-old Lu Dike, who believes the replacement will save him money by eliminating the need to pay employee wages.

The machines cost $9,400 each and have a five-year warranty.

Each robot is equipped with a sensor system that keeps the machine from running into walls (or people) and comes programmed with a limited 40-phrase Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, allowing it to both take orders from and respond to customers.

A rechargeable battery keeps the robots powered for up to eight hours.

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant has become a significant tourist attraction among those who want to experience the artificial intelligence first-hand.

So far the feedback has been positive.

Dike reveals,

I get asked at least once a day if I’m prepared to sell one of them.

One interested customer, 34-year-old Xu Yuan, confirms,

I really like the service and I think I would really like one at home.

Though the bots aren’t for sale yet, Dike hasn’t eliminated the possibility, admitting “it might be a good sideline.”

This is the sort of futuristic technology we only ever thought we’d see in movies.

Speaking of, if Hollywood is any indication, we should probably get working on our lines of defense — you know, just in case they go all “I, Robot” and revolt against mankind.