When you walk into 7 Star Dumpling House on Lasalle Boulevard, don’t be surprised if you hear a polite, synthetic voice asking you to get out of the way.

Meet Bella, the New Sudbury restaurant’s brand new robot waiter, who is helping deliver delicious Chinese dishes hot and fresh straight to your table.

“The people enjoy the service,” Zhang said of the restaurant’s inaugural two weeks with its newest robotic employee. “It can make (the experience) more happy for the customer, especially for the kids.”

Standing at just over four feet tall, the Bellabot, with its sleek, modern design and lively touchscreen animations, fits in perfectly with the Lasalle Boulevard location’s upscale contemporary décor.

The robots are manufactured by St. Catherines, Ont., company Sparc Technologies, which also offers robot waiter in a variety of other models alongside the Bellabot.

Equipped with four induction trays for food delivery, the robot uses multi-sensor technology, including cameras and ultrasonic radar to navigate its surroundings and efficiently avoid obstacles.

Once food has been loaded onto the trays, staff use the touchscreen to select the customer’s table, and Bella navigates directly to it. LED lights indicate which dishes belong to which patrons.

“When (the robot) comes to the table, the customer takes out the food, then the machine says, ‘Thank you, enjoy your food,’ and returns back to its place,” Zhang said. “Sometimes it can sing a song. It can have a little communication with the customer, like you can ask ‘what’s the weather like today?’”

According to Zhang, the decision was made to purchase the robot after the owner saw one in action, and heard about the success other restaurants in places like Toronto and Vancouver have had with it.

“This is the first one in Sudbury,” said Zhang. “They (didn’t) have a robot here, but it’s very popular elsewhere, especially due to COVID-19. This machine can deliver the food to that customer. It’s making it more healthy for the people.”

Patrons can do a number of interactions with the robot, including patting between its pointed cat ears to elicit a variety of vocal responses and facial animations. On special occasions, Bellabot will deliver your food with a boisterous rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

Zhang said the robot has been a hit with customers, especially the kids.

“Young people enjoy the service,” he said. “They feel it’s so funny, because this is a new thing for them. Usually, it’s the waiters who sing the song, but now it’s a machine, so it’s a lot of fun.”

The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government.

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