Robot waiters could soon replace humans in Singapore and Japan

• SoftBank Robotics (SBRG) and China's Keenon Robotics plan to make robot waiters a thing in Singapore and Japan.
• Keenon Robotics' Keenbot can serve four dishes at once and has multi-point delivery modes.
• The two companies plan to expand robots in other markets including Europe, the Middle East and the US.

Robots taking over our jobs is probably one thought that looms around everyone’s mind. Japan and Singapore are close to making it happen in the service industry. SoftBank Robotics (SBRG) and China's Keenon Robotics plan to work together to make robot waiters widely available in Japan and Singapore.

According to the two companies, the use of robots as waiters will “allow better efficiency and productivity.” The robots won’t fully take over the industry though and are looked at more like assistants who will help humans in serving food. These robots are also expected to give service crews more time and resources to refocus on customer service.

Keenbot robot waiter

The first product of this partnership will be Keenbot by Keenon Robotics. This robot is said to be equipped with multi-point delivery modes and can deliver four dishes at once. Keenbot is also smart as it has an intelligent scheduling system, and it can avoid obstacles. The robot has a flexible structure and speed limit in smart zones. Keenbot will be offered first in SBRG’s key markets which are Singapore and Japan. The duo plans on expanding it to more markets including Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

Robot waiters

Robot waiters aren’t new and there are quite a few restaurants around the world that use them. There’s a cafe in Tokyo that uses robot waiters to serve food to customers. China even has a robot restaurant complex where robots not only serve food but even cook dishes. The use of robotics increased ever since the pandemic as a viable solution for contactless service. Keenbot is also expected to help in this regard according to Yee Wee Tang, Managing Director, Grab Singapore. Keenon Robotics is also looking at technology as a more affordable option with rising costs of labour.

Robots taking over our jobs is still a hypothetical scenario and we’re not there yet but the transformation is definitely starting to take place.

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