London:
No need to tip this waiter! A science-fiction restaurant in China has employed robots to work as waiters, cooks, entertainers and receptionists.
The restaurant has 18 types of robots, each gliding out of the kitchen to provide dishes, with speciality robots including a dumpling robot and a noodle robot.
As a diner walks in, one of the robots extends its arm to the side and, with a sci-fi flourish, says "Earth Person, Hello, Welcome to the Robot Restaurant", the 'Daily Mail' reported.
After the diners have placed their order, the robots in the kitchen start cooking and once the dish is prepared, a robot waiter, which runs along tracks on the floor, carries it from kitchen to the table.
Prepared dishes are placed on a suspended conveyor belt and when the plate reaches the right table, the mechanical arms lift it off and set it down.
As people eat, a singing robot entertains diners. The robots have been designed and manufactured by a Chinese company.
Chief Engineer Liu Hasheng said they invested eight million dollars in setting up the gen-next restaurant.
"Staff in the computer room can manage the whole robot team. After the busy times during the day, the robot will go for a 'meal', which is electricity," Liu said.
Mr Liu added that after a two-hour charge the robot can work continuously for five hours.
Another robot restaurant opened in Jinan in northern Shandong province in 2010, where robots resembling Star Wars droids circle the room carrying trays of food in a conveyor belt-like system.