Fully automated restaurant boom in China
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A Japanese Twitter user has sparked an online debate over video footage of a fully-automated Chinese restaurant.
The coverage of the unnamed (and apparently unstaffed) venue in Chinese Shenzhen showed a diner choosing a noodle dish from a touch-screen menu, paying for the meal electronically, receiving it from a robot arm, and dining on a table that automatically retracts to receive waste.
Japanese netizens were quick to express concerns at the concept of dining over a hidden trash can – not only in terms of hygiene and smell, but also for the potential of losing keys or a mobile phone, and as to whether the trash would be properly separated for recycling.
A report called the restaurant a sign of the impending robot apocalypse, and wondered if the restaurant bill was a contribution to an electronic uprising to usurp humanity.
Questions & Answers
Q.What specifically concerned Japanese Twitter users about the automated restaurant concept?
What specifically concerned Japanese Twitter users about the automated restaurant concept?
Japanese netizens expressed hygiene and smell concerns regarding tables that automatically retract to receive waste. They also worried about losing personal items like keys or phones, and whether the rubbish would be correctly separated for recycling purposes.
Q.Where is this fully automated restaurant located?
Where is this fully automated restaurant located?
The fully automated restaurant, which is unnamed in the article, is located in Shenzhen, China. Footage of the venue was shared by a Japanese Twitter user, sparking an online discussion.
Q.How does a customer receive their food at this restaurant?
How does a customer receive their food at this restaurant?
Customers select a noodle dish from a touch-screen menu and pay electronically. A robot arm then delivers the meal, and diners eat at a table designed to automatically retract for waste disposal.
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