Are robot waiters the future? It’s a question the restaurant industry is increasingly trying to answer.
Many people think robot waiters are the solution to the industry’s labor shortages. Sales of them have been growing rapidly in recent years, with tens of thousands now gliding through dining rooms worldwide.
Waiters in this restaurant in Kuwait have a new assistant, a robot called CAN. CAN can't take orders or even place a tray on the table, but the waiter robot can carry it across the room to the correct destination. A waiter then places the tray of food on the table for customers.
Diner Jukerya Serja Milli is enjoying a meal with his family which was partly served by the android. He says that machines will play an ever-increasing role in the service industry.
Currently, the waiter takes the order and programs the robot to deliver it to the correct table. Human waiter Jessy Nomess thinks his job is safe for now, as the robot simply carries trays across the restaurant from the kitchen.
The restaurant’s administrators say the robot is the first of its kind in Kuwait.
“Today, science is developing towards such things. Today, even surgical operations are conducted by robots. So, maybe one day the robot will replace the employees more but for sure the customer needs an employee to communicate with and to talk to. The robot will have a good performance on location, will help the employees, will accelerate the movement of the business, but I do not expect it to fully replace the employees. But we recommend the increase in the number of the robots in the location. We have no problem with this,” says Ahmed Sherriff, the restaurant manager.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
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