Sébastien Le Belzic 12:23 p.m., January 24, 2022
The Ba2 variant was detected in China.
And the authorities are not compromising on the zero Covid policy, in particular ten days before the opening of the Winter Olympic Games which will take place in Beijing.
In order to preserve the health of the athletes, the authorities are betting on canteens without cooks or waiters.
Ten days before the start of the Beijing Olympics, the Ba2 variant was detected in China. And the authorities are not compromising on the zero Covid policy. To protect the athletes, the authorities rely on automated canteens that are without cooks or waiters. It is therefore robots that will provide the service and the concept already exists in a hundred Chinese restaurants.
It's like being in a spaceship with these bluish lights, its network of rails and pipes in which the dishes circulate and its army of small white robots loaded with trays and mounted with a flashing screen.
Here, everything is automated, as the boss explains.
"There are several systems. Large dishes, such as steaks and burgers, are brought by robots and the others are sent by an automatic rail system and arrive in front of the customer".
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More efficient and cheaper than a server
Only a few human waiters are on duty to answer customer questions.
But the objective is to avoid, as much as possible, contact and therefore the risk of falling ill.
This young Beijinger is a fan of these new restaurants.
"We go out a lot less than before with the epidemic. But this type of restaurant, I find it fun. It's more hygienic, it's much better that way. There is no risk"
We find more and more of these androids in Chinese restaurants, cheaper than a waiter, more efficient and never sick.
The system is so well established that meals for athletes during the Beijing Olympics will also be prepared and delivered by machines.