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MULTAN: The excited kids and youth throng to a fast food restaurant where Pakistan’s premier smart robot waitress serves foods at a Pizza outlet in Cantonment area.
These innovative types of robots have earlier been introduced in United States and China.
The face behind the innovation is an electrical engineer Syed Usama Aziz.
Usama, 23, developed the innovative idea of making robot when he was leaving for the United States for higher education and his father Syed Aziz Ahmed Jaffery compelled him to do something in Pakistan before going abroad for higher education.
“I am thankful to Allah Almighty on awarding me a pride and my son not only introduced Multan around the world but also shined Pakistan. I am proud of my son and I appeal the government to facilitate him for more innovation in the world of robotic technology”, Syed Aziz Jaffery said.
The young engineer is now working to upgrade its capability of taking orders from customers as well as serving.
“I am working on robot to enhance its artificial intelligence to decide and perform functions on its own on the basis of strong memory version. My dream is to open a fast food restaurant run by all robots in Multan”, Usama said.
The robot wraps female scarf around neck, can easily navigate to the customer’s table, greet the customers in mechanical voice “Hello welcome” and serves meal and come back to the service counter. It can also detect obstacles on the way during serving orders and avoid them to continue towards its destination. All the mechanical and electrical components used in the robot are completely made in Pakistan.
Syed Usama Aziz
Usama has graduated from the National University Science and Technology (NUST) in electrical engineering and is ambitious to complete his higher education including PhD from the US. He enrolled in NUST in 2011 and graduated in 2015. He wanted to study further and explore the field of robotics by going abroad. His father, the owner of restaurant pizza.com, encouraged him to stay in Pakistan and prove his mettle here.
“My robot can introduce herself in mechanical voices. Currently, it only serves the orders but I am working on it to upgrade it developing the capability of taking orders from customers. The capability of taking orders from customers would be improved after the completion of its testing phase in April”, Usama told The News.
Nine impair dry batteries are installed in the robot with a backup time of 7-8 hours and the batteries take 4-5 hours for recharge.
“When my friends and well-wishers uploaded robot making video on Facebook, I decided launching my robot before the time for testing phase” Usama said.
Usama is working on robot to improve its ability of object detection while robot speed has proved satisfactory. He launched robot at the end of February for one month testing phase.
“I believe the next robot would reduce cost besides making it more effective, with variety of functions”, Usama maintained.
Usama started work on his robot waitress in August last and finished in seven months in February with five feet height, weighing 25 kilograms and spent Rs 400,000 on its development. The robot body structure is made with fiber glass.
“The robot navigates with the help of object detection besides speaking in female mechanical voice. Sensitive censors incorporated in the robot to help the machine detect table numbers. It is controlled by a remote, which guides the robot serving orders through installed memory.”
Usama said once the food or drink is prepared, a chef from kitchen window places the order and presses the table number. The food can be served by the waitress on the table or people can self-serve from the tray the robot is holding. The robot then returns to the kitchen on a press of a button after serving the order.
A number of domestic firms have offered Usama to jointly work to produce robots at commercial level and he planned extending robot services in different cities across the country.
Talking to The News, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Director General, Dr Omer Saif said the PITB has an extensive program under plan-9 to encourage such talented youth at all levels. He said he has directed PITB’s concerned person to contact Usama Aziz for the encouragement of his talent and facilitating him.
The customers too found it exciting to be served by a robot.
“This is excellent experience to be here and receiving order from a robot. We are happy as Multan is growing fast, said a fine arts student Dania Raza.
A Canada return family expressed a unique experience on visiting the fast food outlet where a robot welcomed them.
“The mechanical waiter greets us when we step in. The robot serves us and we really enjoy meeting with innovative robot”, said Fasihea Hassnain.
