Transport robot for restaurantsXF-ZZ059

Cooperation between humans and robots

Since March 2018, a transport robot that delivers food to customers from the kitchen has been put into operation at Midtown Hibiya. A staff member who had initially approached the robot with great wariness was calling it by the nickname “Q-chan,” a moniker based on the restaurant name, just a week later. In that time, it had steadily become a part of the restaurant community. What we sought was a relationship in which “Cooperation between humans and robots”

I visited the location where Q-chan would work many times and investigated the relationships among the staff that work together and the customers they serve, and I designed the robot with movement and an operation screen that people would feel comfortable using even the first time. Moreover, since it would be introduced to a restaurant, I considered the atmosphere of the business as I gave Q-chan operation sounds and announcements so the customers would be aware of it. When I hear someone calling “Q-chan,” I feel that the relationship is approaching the one I sought and am very happy.

Recently, I have been obsessed with ginger ale. After trying many types, I feel that the best tasting one is a ginger beer (ale) called Fentimans. Every day I experiment to try to re-create this flavor. Trying different combinations of sugar and yeast, I enjoy the pursuit of ginger ale that matches my taste.

More information about the product introduced is available here.

Note: The department that the author belongs to and the content of the article are correct at the time of writing.