This cat robot waiter will get mad if you touch its ears too much
PuduTech’s robot can carry four trays at a time
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Chinese indoor delivery robot specialists PuduTech have revealed two new robots atCES 2020: BellaBot and HolaBot. The former is designed to deliver up to four trays to a table, while the latter is meant to be deployed for clean-up scenarios. But never mind any of that: BellaBot has been designed tolook like a cat.
Check out the trailer below:
The cat appearance looks like more of a novelty angle than anything, but interactions with the unit will prompt different expressions. BellaBot will act pleasantly if you touch its ears, but if you do it too many times, it’ll get ‘mad’ that you’re distracting the robot from the job it’s supposed to be doing.
That tallies fairly well with real cat behavior (although a real cat would probably attack you if you’re being too affectionate).
The manufacturers boast about BellaBot’s precise positioning and navigation ability. It’s designed for restaurant owners in China who are short on waiting staff, according to theBBC. PuduTech will have a ‘Future Restaurant’ installation at CES where visitors can see BellaBot and his less exciting sibling HolaBot in action.
BellaBot is the successor to the existing PuduBot, which already has a little face, but cruciallyisn’ta cat. The company says its delivery robots are already found in over 2000 restaurants worldwide. The main lingering question here, then: are you supposed totipthe cat?
CES is primetime when it comes to novelty robots that aren’t necessarily designed for everyday use. If you want to find out aboutrobot postmen, or even arobot that brings you toilet paper, this is a magical time of year.
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Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar’s Senior Entertainment Editor, he’s an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.
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