Robot Bartender Starts Working In Tokyo

JAKARTA - Robot bartenders were introduced to serve drinks at a pub in Tokyo, Japan.

Reported by Reuters, the robot is carrying automation systems in Japanese restaurants and shops when the country is facing labor problems due to society entering old age.

Only the Yoronotaki restaurant chain operates this robot. This robot works with a tablet computer equipped as its face. This robot can smile while chatting about the weather while preparing orders.

The robot, made by the company QBIT Robotics, can pour beer for 40 seconds and mix cocktails in one minute. They can also analyze customer expressions with artificial intelligence software.

The bartender robot trial at the pub, which employs about 30 people, will last two months. After that, Yoronotaki conducted an evaluation.

"We hope this is a solution," said Yoronotaki manager Yoshio Momiya.

"There are still a number of issues to be resolved, such as finding enough space for that, but we hope it will be something we can use."

At a cost of about 9 million yen, or Rp1,131 billion, the robot is tantamount to hiring a human bartender for three years.

Finding workers, especially in the Japanese service sector, will be increasingly difficult. In fact, the government has relaxed visa restrictions to attract more foreign workers. However, the company still faces a labor shortage as its population is shrinking.

Because, at this time, people in Japan are at an age that is no longer productive. In fact, the number of citizens aged 65 years has increased and has become more than a third of the total population in Japan. In health services alone, under these conditions, Japan is estimated to have a shortage of 380,000 workers by 2025.

Japan will use the 2020 Tokyo Olympics starting July 27 to present robotic technology. They plan to use a robot made by Toyota Motor and Panasonic Corp. to help visitors, workers and athletes who attend the event.