Coffee shop hires robots to help with social distancing

Customers wait for a robot to take their orders, make coffee and serve them at their table in Daejeon, South Korea. Photo: Reuters

“Please enjoy your Almond Rooibos Latte. It tastes even better if you stir it,” the robot said as a customer received their drink on a tray attached to the large capsule-shaped computer.

After managing to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) that has infected more than 11,000 people and killed 267, South Korea is gradually transitioning from enhanced social distancing regulations to what the government calls “distancing in daily life”.

“Our system does not require humans from ordering to delivery, and the tables are arranged in a scattered manner to ensure the robot moves smoothly, in line with the current social distancing campaign,” said Lee Dong-bae, research director at Vision Semicon, a smart factory solutions provider that has collaborated with a state-run science institute to jointly develop a robot cafe employee.

The system uses a robotic arm that makes coffee and a serving robot that can make 60 different types of coffee and serve the drinks to customers at tables. The robot can also communicate and transmit data to other devices, and it contains self-driving technology to calculate the best route around the cafe.

An order of six drinks, processed through a kiosk, takes just seven minutes. The only human employee at the two-story cafe is a baker who also cleans and replenishes ingredients.

The manufacturer and the science institute jointly developed the robot, aiming to supply it to at least 30 coffee shops this year. “Robots are fun and easy because you don’t have to get your own drinks,” said Lee Chae-mi, 23, a student. “But I’m a little worried about the job market, as many of my friends are working overtime at coffee shops and robots like this will replace humans.”