Meet Robia and Jojo, Pakistan's robot waitresses winning over diners
KARACHI: Wheeling its way between dining booths at a neon-lit restaurant in Pakistan’s Karachi megacity, a robot waitress drops off a fresh pizza to an awaiting family.
Karachi, the bustling megacity of Pakistan, is witnessing a unique phenomenon as robotic waitresses, Robia and Jojo, begin to win over diners in the famed restaurant Sicilian. Created by Pakistani engineer Syed Osama Aziz, these robots stand out in the country's otherwise human-centric dining culture.
Robia and Jojo, spherical white robots with dark visors and black dupattas, greet customers with a friendly electronic voice, drawing curious stares. Developed by Aziz's robotics company, Cobot, these robots use mostly locally manufactured parts and are programmed in his lab. Despite the advanced technology, the robots remain a novelty in Pakistan, where they attract families eager to watch them in action.
While robots are increasingly common in other Asian countries, particularly China, their appearance in Pakistan is still a novelty. Aziz's robots, despite the lack of advanced features like camera-based processing and image recognition, have proven popular with diners. Excited customers, both young and old, flock to the restaurant to interact with the robots, snapping selfies and marveling at their appearance.
For now, the robots serve food on trays that customers must either take themselves or wait for a human staff member to assist with. However, Aziz envisions adding more sophisticated features to his creations, such as facial recognition and personalized recommendations based on previous orders. As the robots continue to capture the imagination of Karachi's residents, they offer a glimpse into the future of dining, where human and robotic staff may one day work side by side.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.