SP Robotics Works which provides robotic education to school and college students announced the launch of the first food serving robot named Butler ‘O’ Bistro (BOB) in Bengaluru’s VR mall.
According to Business World, the startup provides robotic education through practical experiments with mechanical, electronics, programming and algorithm framing. The startup runs a multidisciplinary engineering platform called Kidobotikz for school students from age 12 to 17. This robot named BOB has been developed by Kidobotikz community members Arjun (13), Anish (12), Srivatsan (13) and Varsha (20).
Once you order food at the counter, there is no more a need to wait and walk all the way back to the counter to collect it. The food which is readied in the kitchen is placed on the robot. Once given a go ahead, BOB begins its journey along the predetermined route from the kitchen to the tables. Using wheels for traction, it follows a line embedded on the floor to move between locations. It also has ultrasonic sensors that gauge the distance between itself and passers-by. Once it reaches the destination, the robot greets the guests with a smile and requests them to receive the food. After the food tray has been emptied, it greets them with a smile and begins to go back to its place in the kitchen.
VR Mall, promoted by VirtousRetail group is one of the largest real estate promoters in India. The group is exploring the use of robots across its food courts in the country and set a precedent in the food serving techniques.
The journey of the startup began in August, 2012 when two Anna University Electrical and Electronic Engineering Students, Pranavan and Sneha Priya, tried to decrease the usage of man-power for monotonous, hazardous and unstable works and rather use the brains for developing technologies for the future. Working together as a team for more than 7 years now, the pair has won accolades from all major universities in India for their robotics expertise.