Commentary

Robots, drones stake out entertainment/hospitality

Advances in automation technology, coupled with current business pressures, has accelerated the development of robots and drones in many business sectors, including hospitality and entertainment.

Image provided by Pudu Robotics.

September 26, 2022 by Kevin Williams

During these challenging times, the investment in new trends is pivotal to the survival of many businesses. The vacuum created by the current business pressures sees the inclusion of drones and robots into the entertainment/hospitality mix, from delivery to gaming.

The deployment of robotic and autonomous systems into the retail, hospitality and even entertainment sector has been in development for many years in response to staff shortages. The global health crisis has pushed investment in the use of these systems in basic food and drink preparation as well as food order delivery.

Restaurants embrace delivery robots

Several restaurants have opened in China with the use of food preparation from autonomous platforms, and the delivery to table via delivery robot.

Most recently, those very same delivery robots have been deployed on test in U.S. bowling alleys. The bowling equipment supplier, BowlMarc Robotics, signed an agreement to offer Pudu Robotics units to operators.

Meanwhile, the U.K.'s Gravity Wandsworth entertainment facility deployed three Pudu delivery robots. The operator of the entertainment venue said the robots' deployment was to address current staff shortages.

The use of a mechanical device to deliver items is not a new concept, able to be traced back beyond the Dumbwaiter of the 1840s, or the use of vacuum tubes in offices and department stores — affectations that became popular after the 1918 influenza pandemic, when menial labor was in short supply.

But with the ability to deliver a guest's food order to their table, the basic conveyor belt sushi restaurant approach has been superseded by the deployment of autonomous robot delivery.

The warehouse and logistics industry has fully embraced both warehouse packing and retrieval robots, as well as supermarket packing and delivery systems. Modern variants are able to retrieve items and place them in bags for delivery at a faster pace than any human employee — married to an autonomous vehicle for the actual grocery delivery to customers' doors.

Revolutionizing food preparation

Robotic service at venues has also been seen in the food and beverage preparation aspects. Already seen in China, meals are being prepared in new specialist venues, such as the Robotic Restaurant in Guangzhou, which comprise automated services, food preparation and a unique ceiling-mounted delivery system.

In America, there have already been tests using robotic burger flipping and food preparation.

The fast-food chain White Castle, based in Columbus, Ohio, announced the purchase of some 100 food preparation robots to be placed in a third of their venues. The Miso Robotics "Flippy 2" system is configured for the burger preparation duties in the fry station of the restaurants.

The franchised SandboxVR location will be operating a Makr Shakr "Toni" cocktail service robot at its London location. This is the first permanent deployment of such a system, although over the years, many venues in the U.K. have experimented with robotic barkeeps — early outings proving extremely temperamental and the first was Cynthia's Cyberbar, opened in 1999. However, with the advancements in robotics, the new platforms prove extremely reliable.

Already, the coffee shop business is looking at robotic coffee baristas as a possible future direction.

Multiple factors at play

While some may claim that these autonomous food and beverage servicing and preparation systems are a result of the global health crisis, they are much more than that. The development of robotic support in these areas is an amalgamation of growing hiring costs, new technology and also customization.

The ability for the customer to directly order and customize their selection from their smartphone app allows a greater variety of offerings with minimal increased upcharge.

The novelty of these systems also offers what some call "performance as a service," as these robotic systems generate guest interest and so ensure new repeat visitation.

Drones enter the mix

In the entertainment sector, the "live play" scene continues to grow.

Japan has seen the formation of the Japan Drone Fight Association, a group linked to the popular new sport of "Drone Fight" — a sport that sees modified racing drones used to burst balloons.

The competition has been gaining in popularity since its launch last year and has seen several streams promoting the competition. The balloons are mounted on a stand, and the players use their skill of controlling their drone to ram and burst the balloon against their competitors. The simplicity of the challenge, and the ubiquity of aerial drones, has seen this challenge grow — and already entertainment facilities are including drone fight arenas (called "bangpoints") within their locations.

The concept of drone balloon competition can trace its roots back to 2019, when the first "Balloon Bursters" competition was held, followed by others until it held its third competition in 2020 when it became "Drone Fight," with the JDFA organization founded March of 2021.

The association was established to create national guidelines and best practices, and to organize national and global conventions based on the competition, which will elevate the action to e-sports style entertainment. It is expected that "Drone Fight" will make its way to the West in the coming months. Already in the amusement scene, there is a drone competition platform, Drone Interactive, and we have seen some other new entrants.

Electronic Playhouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico announced it would be one of the first Western locations to install a Micro Drone Racing attraction. Developed in partnership with a collective of Mexican drone pilots, called "Nuevo Fuego," the attraction has been designed for players of all levels of skill to be able to pilot the drones safely. The venue will be holding tournaments and a championship finale in support of the new attraction. It is expected that other drone-based entertainment experiences will be released soon.

It seems that under the new period of re-invention, the territories' leading operators strive to find the right mix needed for the modern audience.

(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by Spider Entertainment and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)

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About Kevin Williams

Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.

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