Viral VIDEO: A humanoid robot got out of control in a Chinese restaurant and the employees barely stopped it
A dancing robot has gone on a rampage in a Chinese restaurant in California, the US state where Silicon Valley is located, smashing plates and sending chopsticks flying instead of performing its programmed movements, reports CNBC.
The robot was captured on video by a customer of Chinese restaurant chain Haidilao approaching a table before crashing into it, then knocking over utensils and food in front of customers. Employees can be seen trying hard to keep him under control as he dances wildly.
Finally, it takes three waiters to hold the robot by a neck strap and pull it away from the tables as it continues to move its legs and gesture.
The restaurant chain said in a statement to NBC News that the robot was “not malfunctioning or out of control.” Haidilao said the movements made by the Cupertino robot are pre-programmed, but they took place in a “smaller space than usual”.
“In this case, the robot was brought closer to a table at the request of a customer, which is not its usual operating environment,” the company said in a statement. “The limited space affected his movement during the performance,” she says.
The restaurant employees did not activate the robot's kill switch
Haidilao has long used artificial intelligence and robotics in its restaurants around the world, including its smart restaurant in Beijing, which features robot waiters and automatic soup-mixing machines.
The robot in the video is part of the service and entertainment system inside the restaurant, programmed to perform dance moves for the chain's customers.
Joanna Stern, senior technology analyst at NBC News, said this robot is supposed to have an emergency stop button, a so-called “kill switch,” but the employees in the video don't seem to know how to use it.
“I wouldn't worry too much about this robot going crazy, walking out of the restaurant and doing who knows what. I think it's more of a physical risk here,” Stern said.
