Harbin's Robot Restaurant
A restaurant in downtown Harbin, China, employs 20 robots instead of humans that cook, serve and entertain its guests.
The restaurant opened in June 2012 and has since become a novelty spot in Heilongjiang province's capital.
When a diner walks in, an usher robot extends their mechanic arm to the side and says
"Earth person hello. Welcome to the Robot Restaurant".
Patrons can then place their order, which is relayed by humans to one of the four robot chefs
who are able to cook various styles of dumplings and noodles.
Once the dish is prepared, a robot waiter, which runs along tracks on the floor, carries it from kitchen to table.
Prepared dishes are placed on a suspended conveyor belt and when the plate reaches the right table
the mechanical arms lift it off and set it down. As they eat, a singing robot
The robots are between four and five feet tall and can display 10 different facial expressions.
They can work continuously for five hours after a two-hour charge. But the staff doesn't come cheap - each robot
costs between 200,000 to 300,000 hinese yuan (US$31,500 – US$47,000) with
an additional 5 million yuan (US$790,000) invested into the restaurant itself.
(Credit: Xinhua)
Harbin is one of the most genuinely unique places in China.
Though it's known for its annual ice festival, the city has many other marvels
in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius.
These are all cool, but Harbin is apparently not a city to rest on its laurels.
The Robot Restaurant opened in Harbin in June and has
taken the F&B industry in China further into the mechanized world.
Robot Restaurant staffs a total of 20 robots as waiters, cooks and busboys.
Turns out Noodle Bot might need to expand its repertoire if it hopes to compete with Robot Restaurant's 18 different kinds of service robots.
Upon arrival, Usher Robot welcomes customers to the restaurant and
directs them to the seating area.
Patrons can then place their order, which is relayed by humans to one of the
four robot chefs who are able to cook various styles of dumplings and noodles.
The robot chefs even determine the temperature and ingredients for each dish
and usually take about 3 minutes to prepare the average order.
These robot chefs are no slouches either.
The kitchen staff is able to prepare a menu of
over 30 dishes--perfect for a family dinner.
Waitress robots carry the food to customers by following a track that uses
sensors placed under the floor for spatial awareness.
Additionally, each robot comes equipped with its own sensors, helping it
to avoid obstructions such as a kid that's in its way.
The robots were designed and built by a local firm, the Harbin Haohai Robot Company.
Each robot costs between 200,000 to 300,000 Chinese yuan (US$31,500 – US$47,000) with
an additional 5 million yuan (US$790,000) invested into the restaurant itself.
With the average Robot Restaurant meal costing less than 62 yuan (US$10),
the restaurant is not meant to earn Harbin Haohai money.
Posts
