In a neon-lit Karachi restaurant, a handmade robot named Robia rolls between the booths, greeting families in an electronic voice, a small and striking sign that the machines once confined to futuristic talk and distant factories have found a place at a table in Pakistan. Built by engineer Syed Osama Aziz from parts he largely sourced at home, with his own circuitry and code, the robots carry both the ingenuity of a local workshop and the hope of a country where such novelty is still rare. Crowds have gathered not only for the pizza but for the wonder of being greeted by something that is not
Pakistan-Built Robot Waiters Draw Crowds to Karachi Restaurant
Robotic staff are a rare sight in Pakistan
Mark
Why does a robot waitress in a pizza restaurant make news?
Mimi
Because robots in service work are common in East Asia but rare in Pakistan. Here, one engineer built them himself, mostly from local parts.
Luke
Worth noting the scale. This is two robots in one restaurant, not an industry shift.
Mark
What do they actually do?
Mimi
They roll between booths, introduce themselves, tell diners what they can order, and bring food on a tray.
Luke
But they don't hand it over. Customers take the food off the tray or wait for a human to help. So they assist staff rather than replace them.
Mark
Is it good for business?
Mimi
Staff say so. Hellen said business has grown and that people travel from far across Karachi to see them.
Luke
That's one staff member's account. No figures on customers or revenue were given, so how much it has grown is unknown.
Mark
And what's next?
Mimi
Aziz wants cameras and image processing so a robot could recognise you and remember your last order.
Luke
That's a plan, not a feature. Nothing says when it arrives or whether it works.
O Pulso
- A neon-lit Karachi restaurant is suddenly filled with families crowding around a robot waitress that greets them by name.
- Robia and Jojo were assembled from scarce, mostly local parts, with imported components filling the gaps, so every step forward demands improvisation.
- The robots still need human help to deliver food, and the gap between spectacle and practical service is visible at every table.
- Engineer Syed Osama Aziz is pushing toward camera recognition so the robots can remember orders and suggest dishes, aiming to turn a novelty into genuinely personal service.
In a neon-lit Karachi restaurant, a handmade robot named Robia rolls between the booths, greeting families in an electronic voice, a small and striking sign that the machines once confined to futuristic talk and distant factories have found a place at a table in Pakistan. Built by engineer Syed Osama Aziz from parts he largely sourced at home, with his own circuitry and code, the robots carry both the ingenuity of a local workshop and the hope of a country where such novelty is still rare. Crowds have gathered not only for the pizza but for the wonder of being greeted by something that is not quite a person, and in that curiosity lies the early shape of a future that is still being assembled.
At a neon-lit restaurant in Karachi, a robot waitress named Robia rolls between the booths and sets a fresh pizza in front of a waiting family. Then she speaks through blinking red LED eyes: "Welcome to Sicilian. My name is Robia."
Robia has a colleague, Jojo. Both were built by Pakistani engineer Syed Osama Aziz, who also founded The Sicilian. Each has a white spherical head with a dark visor and wears a black shawl in the style of the dupatta.
Robotic staff remain rare in Pakistan, even as China and East Asia have long used robots for food delivery, cleaning and hotel greetings. Aziz built his machines mostly from locally made parts, designing the circuit boards and programming in his own workshop in Multan. Getting materials was difficult, and a few components had to be imported.
The robots are not perfect. Customers must lift food from the trays themselves or wait for a human to help. Still, families come to watch. Children reach out to touch them, parents take photos, and customers like Ahmer Zameer enjoy the introductions. Young diner Sonia Dilosker prefers the machines precisely because they lack emotions.
Staff say business has grown, with visitors travelling from across the sprawling port city, many seeing a robot for the first time.
Aziz hopes to make the robots more capable through camera-based recognition, allowing them to remember past orders and suggest dishes. For now, the draw is the introduction and the show.
At a neon-lit restaurant in Karachi, a robot waitress rolls between the dining booths and sets a fresh pizza in front of a waiting family. Then it speaks, in an electronic voice, through blinking red LED eyes: "Welcome to Sicilian. My name is Robia."
Robia has a colleague named Jojo. Both are the handmade creations of Pakistani engineer Syed Osama Aziz, who also founded the restaurant, The Sicilian. Each has a spherical white head with a dark visor, a bit like a motorcycle helmet. Around their necks they wear black shawls, styled after the dupatta that women in the region wear.
There is plenty of talk worldwide about agile humanoid robots from the United States, China and elsewhere, but robotic staff are still a rare sight in Pakistan. In China and other East Asian countries, robots are far more familiar. They carry food to customers in chain restaurants, clean, and greet hotel guests. In Karachi, they remain a novelty.
Aziz built the machines mostly from locally manufactured parts. He designed the circuit boards and wrote the programming in his own lab. His workshop is in Multan, in central Punjab province. Getting the materials was not simple. "The equipment, the things needed to make robots, are not so easily available here, so we had to arrange them," he told AFP. The pair came out of his robotics company, Cobot, with help from friends and a few electronic components imported from abroad.
The robots have limits. When one reaches a table, customers must lift the food off its serving tray themselves or wait for a human staff member to help.
Still, families are coming to watch them work. Children reach out to touch the machines while parents take photographs and selfies. Customer Ahmer Zameer said the best part is that the robot introduces itself and tells you what you can order. Young customer Sonia Dilosker said she liked how the androids look, and preferred their style of service "because it is a machine and without any emotions."
Staff say the novelty has paid off. A staff member named Hellen told AFP that business has grown, with people travelling from far across the sprawling port city, many of them seeing a robot for the first time. "People are excited to see this," she said.
Aziz wants to make Robia and Jojo more capable. He plans to add camera-based processing and image-processing features. In his description, the robot would recognise a customer by sight, remember their last order, and offer better suggestions accordingly. For now, the draw is the introduction and the show.
Citações Notáveis
The equipment, the things needed to make robots, are not so easily available here, so we had to arrange them.— Syed Osama Aziz, to AFP
People are coming from far away for this. They have seen a robot for the first time here.— Hellen, restaurant staff member, to AFP
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