A McDonald’s in a Chinese city welcome humanoid robots to serve up meals and entertain customers — but only for a limited time.
Videos posted on social media captured the myriad of lifelike robots at a McDonald’s in Shanghai performing routine tasks typically completed by human workers, such as greeting customers and delivering food.
Videos posted on social media captured the myriad of lifelike robots performing routine tasks typically completed by human workers at a McDonald’s in Shanghai. X / @CyberRoboooDiners were seen interacting with the robots dressed in the fast-food joint’s iconic red-and-yellow uniforms behind counters, while children chased more of the moving machinery disguised as cute animals.
The robots, supplied by Chinese firm Keenon Robotics, were deployed as part of a trial at the McDonald’s location, Digitaltrends reported.
McDonald’s said the robots were only around for five days — from March 14 to the 19 — and were meant to plug the grand opening of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum restaurant.
“Our Humanoid series are leading the squad and hitting the streets,” Keenon Robotics posted on social media alongside a clip of the robots interacting with diners.
“It’s a showcase of how service automation is becoming a seamless part of global dining, and how technology brings more smiles to every mealtime,” the company added.
The robots, supplied by Chinese firm Keenon Robotics, were deployed as part of a trial at the McDonald’s location. X / @CyberRoboooJon Banner, the executive vice president and global chief impact officer of the beloved fast-food giant, tweeted that the robots were there for a “temporary greeting.”
“Mission accomplished!” he said. “The robots were not involved in any service or operational functions. And if you didn’t visit prior to today, you missed them.”
The footage comes amid concerns over artificial intelligence and robots replacing tasks typically completed by human workers at large corporations.
In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon will soon use more robots in its warehouses than human employees, with more than 1 million machines already deployed across facilities.
Many of these robots handle the heavy lifting in warehouse work, picking items from tall shelves and moving goods around facilities. Others are advanced enough to help humans sort and package orders, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Three-quarters of Amazon’s global deliveries are now assisted by robots in some way, according to the company.
