A robot waitress rolls between dining booths at a neon-lit restaurant in Karachi, Pakistan, delivering pizza to a waiting family.
While robotic staff are increasingly common in parts of East Asia, they remain a novelty in Pakistan, where engineer Syed Osama Aziz has introduced two home-grown creations, Robia and Jojo.
“Welcome to Sicilian. My name is Robia”, the waitress says in an electronic voice, looking at diners through blinking red LED eyes.
The robots feature spherical white heads, dark visors resembling motorcycle helmets and black shawls styled like the traditional dupatta.
Aziz, who also established The Sicilian restaurant, developed the machines through his robotics company, Cobot, using mostly locally manufactured parts. He designed their circuit boards and programmed them in his own laboratory, with assistance from friends and some imported electronic components.
He said sourcing the necessary equipment in Pakistan had been challenging.
Unlike China and other East Asian countries, where robots increasingly serve food, clean and greet hotel guests, Pakistan has yet to widely adopt robotic staff.
At present, customers must remove food from the robots’ serving trays themselves or wait for human staff to assist them.
Aziz hopes to make the machines more sophisticated by introducing camera-based and image-processing features, allowing them to recognise customers, remember previous orders and offer personalised recommendations.
For now, the robots are attracting families and curious visitors, including children who reach out to touch them while parents take photographs and selfies.
Customer Ahmer Zameer praised the robots for introducing themselves and explaining the available menu options.
Another visitor, Sonia Dilosker, said she was impressed by their appearance and preferred their emotionless approach to serving customers.
The novelty has also benefited the restaurant’s business, with visitors travelling from across Karachi to see the machines. — AFP
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