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The pandemic spurred a labor shortage the U.S. restaurant industry has yet to bounce back from. In that sense, LG’s launch this year of its new robot server was impeccable. “We saw this mass exodus of people,” says Jeffrey Weiland, B2B robotics team lead at LG Electronics North America, and with it, an “opportunity to help do…tasks like bus tables or deliver food.” The CLOi Servebot—the first commercial service robot to be globally certified for safe operation in places like restaurants and hotels—can carry up to 66 pounds and work 11 hours straight, using LiDAR sensors and a 3D camera to move through crowded spaces with ease. The best part, perhaps, for human colleagues? “You don’t split tips with robots,” Weiland says.
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