Robot waiters serve coffee to customers and keep employees safe

Black Canyon Coffee, a cafe in Bangkok, Thailand is protecting its workers, one robot at a time. 

The coffee shop has enlisted the help of a PuduBot by Pudu Robotics, a robot waiter that’s become popular throughout Europe and Asia during the pandemic. It’s a way for businesses to keep their employees and customers safe by reducing human-to-human contact. 

The PuduBot looks like a shelf cart on wheels with a small LED display near the handle. 

At Black Canyon, customers order meals at the counter, then dine at a table. Staff members load orders onto one of PuduBot’s multiple shelves and the robot transports it to the correct table. The PuduBot even has sensors so that it doesn’t crash into humans or objects. 

“In the future, there will be an increase in efficiency, with the robot able to take orders and also accept payments,” Pravit Chitnarapong, CEO of the coffee chain, told Newsflare. ”Importantly, we don’t want the use of robots to replace the workforce, but to increase work efficiency, especially in the new age of life where we need to maintain social distancing.”

Over 2,000 PuduBots have been installed in countries all over the world. But diners aren’t the only ones who benefit from the contactless service. Many PuduBots are used to deliver meals to hospital patients in South Korea and China. 

“Non-human physical contact means safety and automation means saving human efforts,” Pudu Robotics CEO Zhang Tao told Businesswire. “In the event of human life, these two advantages will be magnified. Many technology companies have played an important role in intelligent disinfection, unmanned delivery and intelligent diagnosis during COVID-19.” 

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read about this pet robot that behaves like a real animal.

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