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Robot Bartender May Serve Up a Solution in Japan

Reuters

   TOKYO - Japan's first robot bartender hasbegun serving drinks in a
   Tokyo pub in a test that couldusher in a wave of automation in
   restaurants and shopsstruggling to hire staff in an aging society.

   The repurposed industrial robot serves drinks in its owncorner of a
   Japanese pub operated by restaurant chainYoronotaki. An attached tablet
   computer face smiles as it chatsabout the weather while preparing
   orders.

   The robot, made by the company QBIT Robotics, can pour abeer in 40
   seconds and mix a cocktail in a minute. It uses fourcameras to monitor
   customers to analyze their expressions withartificial intelligence (AI)
   software.

   "I like it because dealing with people can be a hassle. Withthis you
   can just come and get drunk," Satoshi Harada, arestaurant worker said
   after ordering a drink."If they could make it a little quicker it would
   be evenbetter."

   Finding workers, especially in Japan's service sector, isset to get
   even more difficult.

   The government has eased visa restrictions to attract
   moreforeignworkersbut companies still face a labor shortage asthe
   population shrinks and the number of people over 65increases to more
   than a third of the total.

   Service companies that can't relocate overseas or takeadvantage of
   automation are more vulnerable than industrialfirms. In health care
   alone, Japan expects a shortfall of380,000 workers by 2025.

   Service during Olympics

   Japan wants to use the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games beginning onJuly 27 to
   showcase service robot technology, with organizersplanning to use
   robots built by Toyota andPanasonicto help visitors, workers and
   athletes.

   The robot bartender trial at the pub, which employs about 30people,
   will last two months after whichYoronotakiwill assessthe results.

   "We hope it's a solution," YoshioMomiya, aYoronotakimanager, said as
   the robot bartender served drinks behind him."There are still a number
   of issues to work through, such asfinding enough space for it, but we
   hope it will be something wecan use."

   At about 9 million yen ($82,000), the robot costsas much asemploying a
   human bartender for three years.

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