Robotic waitress confuses patrons in Chinese restaurant
Turns out this waitress was more human than noid...
We have become so consumed with the ideas of robotics and artificial intelligence that sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
Just like Neo in 'The Matrix' had to decipher between the real and the simulated, nowadays it seems we also have that daunting task ahead of us.
An android waitress or what seemed like one recently went viral in China.
"The sight of a humanoid robot seemingly working as a waitress at a restaurant in China scandalized a lot of people when videos of it started circulating on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok). Some viewers were in awe of the android’s human-like appearance and its ability to interact with real people, greeting them as they entered the Chongqing restaurant, taking their orders, and bringing them to their tables." (Oddity Central)
But for others, it was quite creepy. The robotic waitress left people stunned because of her close resemblance to a human.
Watch the video below, courtesy of YouTube.
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Just in case you were also left a bit confused by it all, it turns out that the humanoid waitress is actually a human posing as a robot.
The robotic waitress happened to be the owner of the restaurant, who has a background as a dancer.
Ms. Qin, the owner, said that ever since opening the restaurant three years ago, her friends would help her with performances to attract patrons.
"But she really struck gold earlier this year, when she started posing as an android, using precise robot-like motions and makeup to make her performance so believable that most new clients couldn’t tell that she was human." (Oddity Central)
It seems we are more attracted to robotic things than we would like to admit...
Image Courtesy of YouTube