In the kitchen of "AI Shokudo" that opened in China, a robot was silently cooking. Unmanned delivery vehicles come and go in the city and deliver products to homes. It's like the future drawn by science fiction. I experienced China, which is rushing to “automation” after the corona disaster. (NNN Shanghai branch Takanori Hasegawa)
"AI Shokudo" opened in Shanghai
A restaurant with a mysterious sign called "AI Shokudo" opened in Shanghai, so I went there immediately. When you enter the store, the first thing that catches your eye is the glass-enclosed kitchen. However, there was no one in the kitchen, only the yellow robot arm was moving quietly. This AI cafeteria is a public cafeteria jointly run by the local government and a private company, and AI-equipped robots prepare all meals.
"Cooking robot" working in AI cafeteria
In the backyard, employees cut the meat and vegetables and put them on a tray, then the robot arm entered the automatic cooking machine and started cooking. Baking, steaming, simmering, etc. are used properly, and AI (artificial intelligence) adjusts the cooking time according to the temperature and humidity. It can prepare food for up to 200 people within 10 minutes. Another robot, which is in charge of making the noodles, took out the noodles from the boiling water and "drained" them just like a ramen shop worker.
Pay with QR code at AI cafeteria
Currently, people are responsible for delivering the finished dishes to the customers, but the cafeteria management company says, "In the future, there are plans to make improvements so that everything from cooking to serving can be done by robots." talk to. The non-contact AI cafeteria is also in demand as a countermeasure against the new corona infection, and has already been introduced to the cafeteria of a junior high school in Shanghai. The taste of the most important dish was very delicious even for a foreigner like me. AI can store seasoning data that many people find delicious, so it can reproduce the same taste forever. The local media reported that they can cook better food than 80% of the chefs in the world.
Automatic delivery vehicles running in the streets of Shanghai
In China, even when shopping at a supermarket, it is common to order with a smartphone and have it delivered by motorcycle. That delivery is now beginning to be replaced by “automated.” As a trial, I ordered a "watermelon" using an online supermarket app that has introduced an automatic delivery vehicle. About 20 minutes later. Turning at a distant intersection, I saw an "unmanned delivery vehicle" coming towards me. It's even smaller than a light truck and doesn't have a driver's seat. Multiple cameras and sensors were attached to the body, and it was running around cars parked on the street.
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