A Bhubaneswar restaurant has thrown open its doors as the first dining joint in Odisha where customers are served by robots. The two humanoid servers, named &lsquoChampa&rsquo and &lsquoChameli&rsquo, can be found at Robo Chef, in the DLF Cyber City area, and are the first indigenously-developed robot servers in India. In other robot restaurants in cities like Chennai and Bengaluru, the robots have been sourced from China.  

Champa and Chameli reportedly wish guests, take orders and serve food, thereby completely eliminating the need for waiters. Post serving customers, the robots have been programmed to enquire &lsquoapana mane khusi ta&rsquo, or &lsquoare you happy&rsquo in Odia. Developed using SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) technology, the pair do not need any guided paths or decor modifications to their job. Instead, they create a map based on radar (similar to Sherlock&rsquos mind palace, it seems) of their immediate surroundings and then orient themselves accordingly. 

After a full charge (which takes around 30 minutes), they are operational for eight hours and can lift up to 20 kilograms. Equipped with 17 sensors, Champa and Chameli can sense the environment, heat and smoke, and even identify visitors. Jeet Basha, the owner of Robo Chef, says he was inspired by robo-dining joints in the United States, and wanted to recreate the novelty in Bhubaneswar, a smart city and growing IT hub. 

Address Robo Chef, 125, Chandaka Industrial Estate, DLF Cyber City, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751024. Open on all days, with varied timings Monday to Friday from 12-3pm and 7-9.30pm Saturdays from 12-5pm and 6-10pm and Sundays from 12-3.45pm and 7-10pm. Timings may differ on holidays.