Robots have been taking over several conventional roles of humans as authorities around the world attempt to control the spread of Coronavirus. A Shanghai school is the most recent example, where a robot now prepares and serves dishes in its canteen.
The Minhang High School Experimental School, with 11-13 years old students, has employed an almost 10-feet tall robot in its canteen that uses a giant arm to pick up pre-prepared individual dishes and heat them in a microwave. The school claims that the?new robot?ensures that the food is not touched by humans during the whole process, ensuring safety of the students by eliminating secondary contact.
The dishes, including the likes of steamed eggs and fried chicken wings, are then served to the students hot at lunchtime. Students coming into the canteen can just pick up their trays from a conveyor belt where the robot places the food once it is heated up.
The robot has been serving the school canteen since October, when the schools in the region reopened after the pandemic. Since then, the school has been happy with its service.
¡°Everything has gone well as the machine has guaranteed the safety of the food without having to be touched by humans and the dishes¡¯ taste better now,¡± said the school¡¯s vice president Song Wenjie as per a report by Reuters. Wenjie also explained that the robot was supposedly better than humans at measuring seasonings like salt and pepper.
As per Wenjie, the school was the first one to try the technology in the area. The unique robot was donated to the school by Chinese catering brand Xixiang Intelligent Kitchen.
¡°We received many calls after media reports on this robotic cook and we are signing many more contracts with schools and companies in those high-tech parks,¡± said Shen Wei, a project manager at Xixiang.
The robot chef comes as the latest example of how robots have come into service post the COVID-19 pandemic. To avoid human interaction at crucial points, such robots are being used for delivering food and drinks in restaurants, as well as performing crucial duties in hospitals.