In the restaurant, the waiter goes from one table to another… followed by a small robot that brings the dishes and drinks or returns the empty dishes to the kitchen. Plato, as he is officially called, could soon be part of the restaurant’s staff. It is in any case the wish of the French start-up Aldebaran that designed this server of the future.
At the beginning of the week, several machines ran through the corridors of the Equiphotel fair in Paris, where hotel and restaurant professionals met. The chance to officially launch Plato.
A ‘cobiot’, a collaborative robot
“Plato, clear table 2”. Controllable by voice or through its interactive screen, the 1.10-meter-tall cylindrical robot roams between the tables according to the waiter’s orders. This is the manufacturer’s promise: Plato is not a replacement for the server. It accompanies him in his service to allow him “to dedicate himself to social interaction with customers”, says Xavier Lachérade. The general director of Aldebarán does not evoke a robot, speaking of Plato, but a “cobiot” according to the company’s terms, that is, a collaborative robot. “The robot alone won’t work,” he says.
Based on the experience of his robots Nao -a humanoid and programmable robot- and Pepper -another robot capable of identifying emotions-, Aldebarán wanted to work on his new machine to insert it as easily as possible among customers, who are sometimes reluctant to accept this type of device. Eyes and a smile appear on the robot’s interactive screen, without primary use but with the intention of softening up the client.
Not very noisy, Plato was developed “to be as friendly, as cute as possible”, confirms Xavier Lachérade. If it is aimed above all at the world of catering, specifically at large establishments or canteens, Plato has also been tested on an Ehpad.
18,500 euros to acquire Plato
After being bought by the Japanese group Softbank Robotics, which had renamed it Softbank Robotics Europe, Aldebaran recently passed into the hands of the German group United Robotics and recovered its original name.
With its new service robot, the company hopes to regain a positive dynamic. If they were technological successes, his Nao and Pepper machines never really became commercial successes, outpaced by the rapid development of much cheaper voice assistants.
Dish is sold for 18,500 euros or rented from 699 euros per month. With Europe in particular in the viewer, betting on manufacturing in France to stand out from its Asian competitors.
Source: BFM TV
