HANAU: “At the airfield restaurant in Gelnhausen, located 45 kilometers east of Frankfurt, a robot whispers, “Here’s your food,” to the guest.
The robot instructs the guest to take the food from tray one and then to press the screen to confirm. It concludes by wishing the patron a hearty appetite. The monitor’s face with big googly eyes and a red kissy mouth then smiles,
The happy-to-serve robot, Schorsch, is able to read out text that you type into it. After serving a table, robot “Peanut” rolls back to its regular spot, playing a classical melody while it waits to see if there are any new orders.
Restaurant owner Veronika Döll appreciates the value of having a robotic helper, especially due to the general shortage of staff in the catering industry, which has become a major issue for them recently.
In late October, Döll was given her robotic helper free of charge for a total of four weeks, as part of a project organized by the Spessart Tourism marketing agency, with the support of the Main-Kinzig district and the Hanau Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Bernhard Mosbacher, managing director of Spessart Tourism, stated that they decided to trial the use of service robots to address the shortage of skilled workers in the hotel and catering industry in the region, and to ultimately strengthen tourism.
The project is set to last for two years and is being scientifically supported by Heilbronn University. The restaurant on the edge of the airfield is the second station for the project and is ideally suited due to its accessibility and layout.
Mosbacher states that there has been great interest in the project and that seven companies have already signed up for it. They plan to continue testing the robots in different areas, such as hotels, airports, snack bars, and rehabilitation hospitals.
Peanut is being provided by the company BZB Bürozentrum in Gelnhausen and it is being financed for the purpose of the project. The trial also includes another robot, Schorsch, who has been a hit at a hotel and a children’s birthday party.
The robots each cost between €12,000 and €14,000 (RM60,534 to RM71,008) to purchase, but they can also be rented at rates of between €450 and €520 per month. The hotel and catering industry in the German state of Hesse has embraced the use of automated applications to address the shortage of staff and skilled workers. However, they recognize that robots cannot replace the essential part of the catering experience which includes personal contact with guests.
