INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightPuduTechImage caption
BellaBot is a waiter with attitude
A robot cat designed to ferry
plates of food to restaurant customers has been unveiled at the CES tech expo in Las Vegas.BellaBot, built by the Chinese firm PuduTech, is
one of a number of wacky robotic inventions being shown off at the event this year.There is also UBTech's Walker, which can pull yoga
poses.And Charmin's RollBot
It speeds a roll of toilet paper on demand to bathrooms that have run out of the stuff.One expert said it was likely that robots exhibited
at CES would only continue to get more bizarre in the future.BellaBot, the table-waiting robot cat, is a service bot with personality.Image
copyrightPuduTechImage caption
The device has four trays, each capable of bearing up to 10kg of grub
It
updates a previous model that had a more utilitarian design
BellaBot, in contrast, features a screen showing cat-face animations
It mews when it arrives at tables to encourage customers to pick up their food.And if the diners stroke BellaBot's ears, it initially reacts
with pleasure."The owner's hand is so warm," the bot is programmed to say in response
But if customers continue for too long its expression changes."It gets mad to remind you not to interrupt its job," explains the firm.Image
copyrightPuduTechImage caption
BellaBot likes a quick strong - but becomes irate if diners pet it for too long
The Chinese company is targeting the machine at restaurant owners in China, who often struggle to employ enough waiting staff,
according to PuduTech.The firm's existing robots are already in use at 2,000 restaurants worldwide.It plans to show off the new device at a
booth designed to look like a futuristic restaurant when the CES show floor opens on Tuesday.But BellaBot may find it harder to operate in
the real world, commented tech consultant Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight, because of the challenge of navigating restaurants at busy
times.He added, however, that restaurants are expected to become increasingly dependent on automation in one form or another.Image
copyrightUBTECHImage caption
It does yoga - but Walker will not buy you a quinoa salad afterwards
UBTech's newly-updated Walker bot is also being shown off at CES this year.The model can perform a series of Tai Chi and yoga poses,
demonstrating a "huge improvement in motion control", according to its maker."It's continuously tracking its overall centre of gravity
throughout the yoga positions - the kind of dynamic [artificial intelligence] you would expect of a robot that 'lives' in your home
alongside your family, going up and down stairs, carrying heavy objects for you," explains UBTech spokesman Jeff Gordon.Walker's other
abilities including being able to push a cart, draw pictures and pour liquid into a cup.And Procter - Gamble's American loo roll business,
Charmin, has attracted a flurry of attention with an unusual droid designed to complement toilets and bathrooms: RollBot."Imagine yourself
there, you've run out of toilet tissue, nobody hears your call," P-G researcher Gregg Weaver told the TheIndianSubcontinent."The robot will
find you in the home and deliver you a fresh roll."Image caption
RollBot answers nature's call
RollBot
is summoned via Bluetooth on a smartphone.However, P-G currently has no plans to make it commercially available - which may mean waiting a
little longer for that desperately needed roll.Thanks to improvements in hardware and software capabilities, robots will gradually become
better and better at expressing themselves and mimicking human capabilities, predicted Mr Pescatore.Media playback is unsupported on your
deviceMedia captionWATCH: Robot wheels that make it possible to move chairs about via voice command are also at CESHe also suggested that in
commercially competitive, consumer-facing settings, quirky robots were likely to stand out from the crowd."It is one of the fast-growing
tech trends," he added."Expect far more wackier robots in years to come."
