In a world that has learned nothing from robot-based apocalyptic movies, a Hong Kong restaurant has taken the first step in hiring machines to cook and wait on humans. Robot Kitchen, located in the Kowloon district , has two robot waiters which take orders from and deliver food to hungry and naive patrons who are assured in the superiority of humans over this planet, while a third one works behind the counter preparing the dishes.

Video by South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

It’s not that humans are unable to see the dangers that the future holds for us. Soylent Green helped raise global concerns on the issue of overpopulation and corporate control over food supply. Waterworld and The Day After Tomorrow championed the drive against global warming and carbon emissions. And yet, movies like I, Robot, The Terminator and Matrix trilogies, which warn us about the impending dominion of synthetic lifeforms on this world, have done little to stop the development of robotic creations and their application in human affairs. The MQ-1 Predator unmanned drone, the Geminoid face simulator , and the Sony humanoid robot have all been foreseen in science fiction blockbusters, yet the Hollywood-informed masses have yet to curtail further research on these potential threats.

In the surface, Robot Kitchen seems innocent enough in its attempt to create novelty and attract customers by employing artificial lifeforms. The Hong Kong-based Cyber-Robotics Technology was paid USD 5,000 apiece for the models built by Peter Chow. These machines have a very basic structure consisting of a box on wheels, a touchscreen for ordering via a digital menu, and a glowing bulb for a head. They are steered via remote control and a video camera. The third one has a mechanical arm which performs simple cooking tasks like flipping burgers.

They aren’t the sophisticated automatons described by Isaac Asimov, or even Swiss Army type droids like R2D2 of the Star Wars universe. As anyone who dabbles in technology knows (atms, cars, operating systems, etc), it’s the simple ones that beat out their flashier, feature-heavy counterparts in terms of reliability. And Robot Kitchen is still a dining establishment at heart, which need to feed a room full of customers within a limited time period, day in, day out. So to minimize problems, these robot waiters aren’t even used to their full potential. The order-taking robot needs to have a human countercheck its data, and the food delivery robot is only allowed to transport small dishes like appetizers or desserts. So they can hardly be considered labor-saving devices. Still, it has become a huge attraction for both kids and adult alike who are looking forward to a robot-assisted society.

Like the robots, the restaurant and the food itself is pretty simple in its theme. The menu lists familiar fare that are spruced up with hi-tech names, like “Robot Energetic Pizza”. The place is crawling with smaller, store-bought robots that merely entertain diners. After all, the maintenance of the star attractions takes up enough problems without the rest of the place complicating things further. The system still has a few bugs; the order-taking bot takes 5 hours of charge time to operate for just 3 hours during dinner time.

But if you think this primitive display of robot ability is nothing to fear, take note that at this stage of history, technological development is at the high end of an exponential curve. Computers powerful enough to guide manned spaceships to the moon back in the 70’s are now matched by today’s video game consoles. And cutting-edge laptops from a mere decade ago are now considered relics fit for a digital museum. The same museum, I might add, that robots a decade from now might visit before heading back to work in restaurants, catering to earth’s new silicon overlords.

For those who wish for a taste of robots taking over, get off the MTR at Tseung Kwan O station along the purple line. Leave through the B2 exit, then look for a mall called Park Central.

Robot Kitchen
Shop G27, Park Central
9 Tong Tak Street
Tseung Kwan O
Kowloon
Tel 2623 2238

Posted in Food, Hong Kong

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Food, Hong Kong. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.