Fast food is finally receiving a truly futuristic update with the induction of Softbank's Pepper robot in a Singapore Pizza Hut. The robot will be run on a trial basis, with no plans of replacing workers yet, at the Punggol location in Singapore. This trial is a result of a partnership by MasterCard, Softbank and Pizza Hut, and will run for two weekends. This trial will be a true test to determine the success of Pepper, as the robot has really only found success in Japan and was even fired from a Scottish grocery store after and underwhelming performance.
Customers looking to order from Softbank's Pepper robot will need to download the Pizza Hut app, sign in with MasterCard's Masterpass and then connect to the robot via a four-digit PIN. Order made to Softbank's Pepper robot will need to be done step-by-step as the robot cannot yet process natural language. The robot will present prompts for each facet of the order and will close the order by holding up a QR code for a specific table.
Image Credit: Aloysius Low
What's Driving This Trend
- Fast Food Robotics
- There is an opportunity for companies to disrupt the fast food industry by implementing more robots for order-taking and food preparation.
- Digital Ordering Systems
- The need for customers to connect to Softbank's Pepper robot via the Pizza Hut app presents an opportunity for businesses to create more seamless and user-friendly digital ordering systems.
- Natural Language Processing
- As Softbank's Pepper robot cannot yet process natural language, there is an opportunity for companies to develop and improve natural language processing technology to enhance the capabilities of these types of robots in the future.
Who This Affects Most
- Fast Food
- The fast food industry can benefit from implementing robots for increased efficiency and accuracy in order-taking and food preparation.
- Robotics and Automation
- The robotics and automation industry can capitalize on the rising trend of using robots in the fast food industry by developing more advanced and capable robots for various tasks.
- Digital Payments
- The need for customers to sign in with MasterCard's Masterpass to connect to Softbank's Pepper robot presents an opportunity for digital payment companies to partner with businesses and improve the overall user experience of digital payments in various industries.
