Pizza Hut's Newest Employee is A Humanoid Robot
When the robot apocalypse comes and we must choose sides between humans and machines, one thing that may not factor into our decision is pizza. Because the robots will have already taken it away. In what is yet another step in the direction of an automaton takeover of the pizza business (on the heels ofDomino's driverless delivery vehicle),Pizza Hut just hired a humanoid robotnamed Pepper to be the newest and most advanced member of their waitstaff.
Pizza Hut Asia has acquired SoftBank's Pepper robot to take customer orders, make personalized recommendations and offer specials, as well as accept digital payment for the pies. The rolling robot has an adorable/soulless face and makes humanlike gestures with its arms, but without the inherent sadness felt during interactions with regular Pizza Hut employees. At the low price tag of only $1800 for developer models and with no need for pesky expenses like health insurance and a living wage, Peppers could be popping up in Pizza Huts across the globe in the near future.
Okay, okay, I held out as long as I could: maybe they should consider renaming the robot… Pepperoni.
I quit.
[h/tThe Verge]