Singapore’s government has implemented some curbs on cheap and foreign labor in order to slow down the process of immigration and this has resulted in non-availability of manpower for local businesses. A number of restaurants have actually shut down owing to this lack of manpower because young Singaporeans are not a fan of service jobs. Therefore, a number of restaurants are looking into other options to manage this gap. A particular restaurant has come up with an amazing solution; flying robot waiters! Yes, the restaurant is planning to use Infinium Robotics’ drones that will be added to the restaurant chain by the end of 2015.
These drones will make use of infrared sensors that will be placed around the restaurant to navigate on paths chosen by a computer program. The drones are supposedly going to be reliable and sturdy. The chances of them calling in sick a few hours before their shift starts are zero as well. Each drone will be capable of carrying 2kg worth food and drinks – this amounts to 2 pints of beer, 2 glasses of wine and a pizza.
As expected, a number of issues are linked with this approach such as a drone malfunction that might result in it crashing into a customer. However, the Infinium Robotics CEO Junyang Woon has stated that the machine comes with onboard cameras and sensors to ensure that no collision with a person takes place. He further stated that this technology will be freeing up capacity, “so staff are able to interact more with customers and enhance their dining experience.”
The restaurant chain – Timbre Group’s – spokesperson said that they realize this technology comes with its limitations and according to MD Edward Chia, plans are to incorporate 40 drones and have the human staff redirected to jobs that require higher level of skill. He said that the restaurant will still have human waiters. The drones will be merely bringing food from the kitchen to the serving station while a human waiter will serve the dishes to customer. He said, “We still want to have that human touch.” How would you like to see this smart development in restaurants? Tell us in the comments section below.
