When robots begin serving more than just food in Pakistan’s restaurants

Syed Usama Aziz, an electrical engineer, is on a mission to popularize the use of humanoid robots in Pakistan's consumer market. His startup, Cobot, based in Multan, has already begun this process by supplying robots to several restaurants in Karachi, Lahore, and Multan. Aziz, a National University of Sciences and Technology graduate, revealed to PTI that the robots are locally manufactured using hardware, circuit boards, and fibreglass bodies, and are relatively easy to operate.

A dedicated app needs to be downloaded to program the robots for specific tasks. To demonstrate their capabilities, Aziz traveled to Karachi recently to see his humanoid robots, Rabia and Jojo, serving food at The Sicilian, a popular restaurant. The robots, equipped with white spherical heads and visor helmets, navigate the restaurant, serving trays of pizza, burgers, and other dishes, drawing the attention of intrigued customers, primarily families.

Restaurant operations manager Ali Zaidi stated that customers, especially children, are captivated by the robots serving their meals. Aziz recalled that the idea of using robots in consumer services did not gain traction when his first robot was launched in Multan in 2018 due to various challenges. However, he expressed optimism about the growing demand for humanoids in Pakistan, despite the high cost of around PKR 420,000 per robot.

To encourage adoption, Cobot offers trial periods and subsidized rates for restaurants and educational institutions. Aziz attributed the increasing interest to advancements in artificial intelligence, which can aid in programming robots beyond their current role of simply transporting trays to tables.