Lending A Mechanical Helping Hand

As more processes behind-the-scenes are passed onto infallible robotic arms, there are some experiences that just can’t be replicated by metal and programming

- Sim Ee Waun

Robot baristas, techno-bartenders, vending machines spewing hot ramen and fresh salmon, and 3D printed gastronomy. With the shortage of labour affecting the service industries around the world, and constant rallying calls here to boost our onward march to greater productivity, it is logical that the food industry in Singapore embraces all that technology offers. And it’s becoming increasingly evident in back-end operations of central kitchens to front-of-house.

MAKING THE LOAD LIGHTER

While vending machines no longer raise eyebrows, other technology is making itself felt. In recent years, for instance, some restaurants have adopted, at its most basic, self-guided robots which bring dishes from the kitchen to diners’ tables, or transport dirty plates and platters back—much to the delight of children. Their presence brings to life images from sci-fi comic books of robots in the house. Then just last year, Singapore’s first robot restaurant Hawkee opened its doors, serving traditional hawker dishes whipped up by machines— taking a traditional old world genre into sci-fi reality. In the same year, Marina Bay Sands’ signature café SweetSpot opened its flagship outlet at the ArtScience Museum, featuring Singapore’s first commercial robotic barista developed by local entrepreneur Keith Tan. The fully automated six-axis robot makes different combinations of coffee four times as fast as a human barista. Once ready, guests collect their drink at the counter fitted with digital screens with their names on it.