In 2022, Restaurants Commenced Using Feline-Esque Robots for Food Delivery
Will 2021 be known as the year of the feline food robot? Perhaps.
In the U.S. and Canada, several eateries welcomed "cat-inspired" delivery robots to their teams this year. These units, called BellaBots, are designed by Pudu Robotics, a company based in Shenzhen, China.
Footage of these digital felines can be found online, showcasing their movements, such as this video of Bella in action in Colorado restaurants, and those in Michigan, along with locations in Spain, Japan, and Mexico.
One of the first establishments to introduce a BellaBot was Sushi Island in Canada. According to a press release at the time, Bella was introduced to ease the burden on servers and provide customers with less human contact. Overall, customer reactions seemed favorable.
Here's an overview of Bella, albeit potentially created by another AI robot, as it meanders the restaurants with trays of delectable dishes. Sporting pointy cat-like ears, Bella is equipped with a touch screen display that features large, cartoonish eyes and whimsical cat-themed animations. Upon arrival at a table, customers receive a notification from the light strip on Bella's side that their food is ready for pick-up.
There's even a "cruise mode" for when you want Bella to roam freely among the tables. In case you're celebrating someone's special day, there's also a "birthday mode" complete with a song to hype up the occasion, or perhaps add a touch of embarrassment for your customers.
Enriched with technological advancements, BellaBots make use of sensors for navigation and interaction, illustrating the ever-growing trend towards automation in the service industry. By 2025, these types of robots had surged in popularity, but specific data on their reception in 2021 is difficult to find. However, based on available information, BellaBot has been crafted to seamlessly integrate into the restaurant world, adding a touch of innovation to the dining experience while delivering food efficiently.
In 2021, the dining experience in several restaurants expanded beyond human servers, as BellaBots, food-and-drink delivery robots with a feline aesthetic, were introduced. Equipped with technology such as sensors for navigation and interaction, these gadgets seamlessly integrated into the lifestyle of restaurants, offering an innovative way to deliver food efficiently, while potentially reducing human contact.
