Rise of Robots

The Secfi office is on 3rd and Mission in the SOMA so I find myself at the Metreon/Yerba Buena gardens quite often for lunch.

When I was a kid somewhere around 8 years old, the Sony Metreon was created as some sort of tech entertainment hub. I recall going there quite a bit to watch movies, play video games, etc. Since then, it’s been converted into more of a mall with a Target, movie theatre, and a food court.

Last week I noticed that there was a new ramen machine placed next to the CafeX stall. For those not familiar, CafeX is the new robotic coffee machine that effectively replaces a barista. While not as cool looking, the ramen machine is like a vending machine for hot ramen.

I’m very skeptical of these very “gimmicky” type robot companies. I love the idea of automation and undoubtedly see the value of robots in our everyday life, but I struggle to see why our lives are enhanced significantly by robot baristas, ramen preparers, or pizza makers (Zume).

The reason why I call these companies gimmicks is because consumers like myself want to try these things as they are fun, but they serve no real everyday purpose.

For example, on Sunday, I decided to try the ramen machine for lunch. I paid $14 for my tonkotsu ramen, and 2 minutes later a hot plastic bowl of ramen was ready for the taking.

I had a lot of fun doing this. I filmed it and sent it to my girlfriend. As far as taste… well it was edible. It tasted like a salty broth of top ramen. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I love my occasional salty unhealthy top ramen bowl, but for $14, I was not necessarily pleased.

I have trouble seeing the automation and effect on on the bottomline by using these robots. CafeX still has an employee tending the machine. I’d imagine repairs and maintenance cost a lot.

I’m excited for the future of robotics. I dream of the day where I can let a robot into my building who delivers my bowl of Pho still piping hot in it’s heat chamber. I look forward to take autonomous cars on trips. The difference here is that these types of “robots” serve a purpose — they can and will do things better than humans.

Until a robot can make my coffee, ramen, or pizza than a human, I’m staying away from these gimmick robots.