Bender wasn’t the first robot to struggle with boredom and depression – that honour goes to the ship’s robot from Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.“I didn’t ask to be made,” said Marvin, morosely. “No one consulted me or considered my feelings in the matter.
See more robots in our gallery: 10 of the best robots
Photograph: Laurie Sparham/PR
Among hospitality-focused tech companies there is much excitement (pdf) about such DIY “solutions”. A future where you are issued with an iPad on arrival, or are asked to use your phone or a kiosk to order and pay is not far away; the waiters will simply deliver the food to your table. The software is here already. For instance, Wagamama’s mobile app enables you to order and pay for takeaway food for collection later. Such self-ordering and self-payment technology can easily be tweaked to work in a restaurant context. Rise of the robot restaurant on Guardian Food’s Word of Mouth blog
Source: YouTube/重工 水道橋
Kuratas: The Japanese 13ft super-robot controlled by an iPhone
Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
A robot seated on a small vehicle and made by the School of Business and Engineering Vaud - just one of the new ideas on display at the International Exhibition of Invention in Geneva
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