Google is recruiting robotic waiters for its offices (PICTURES+VIDEO)  

“Ok Google, get me a coke”

Xiaomi and Tesla may be focusing on humanoid robots, but Google has yet to offer anything to the general public. But it has to offer something less anthropomorphic and more practical to its workers.

Its offices have been equipped with robot waiters who can respond to employees’ voice commands and offer them snacks and drinks from the kitchen, and even grab a sponge to clean up spilled soda.

The bots were equipped with language technology that draws the world’s understanding from Wikipedia, social media and other websites. According to Google, the same AI exists in digital assistants, but hasn’t been applied to robots until now.

Incorporating AI into robots increased the percentage of correct execution of commands from 61% to 74%. Google claims to promote the development of robots responsibly and slowly, while its robots are not yet available for sale. He worries that home robots may eventually become surveillance machines, or be equipped with conversational technologies that may provide offensive responses.

It will take some time before we can have a clear understanding of the commercial implications. – Vincent Vanhoucke, Google Robotics Research Lead

The robots are manufactured by Alphabet’s subsidiary Everyday Robots and for the time being will be limited to the role of a waiter in Google’s offices.