Robot Waiter Eases Labor Shortages in Australia’s Hospitality Industry
VOA News｜Technology
November 22, 2021 5:43 AM (source)
Robot Waiter Eases Labor Shortages in Australia's Hospitality Industry
機器服務生緩解了澳洲餐旅業缺工的困境
November 22, 2021 5:43 AM
Phil Mercer
VOA News 搶先看
澳洲經濟逐漸復甦的同時，卻因邊境管制而造成缺工現象。雪梨一家餐廳最近啟用了一款接待機器人以解決人力不足的問題，其內部建有餐廳的桌次分布圖，因此能將食物從廚房送到正確的桌位上。這個名為 BellaBot，由中國公司 PuduTech 所研發的機器人也內建多語程式，能用英文和中文進行溝通。澳洲餐旅業以往大多依靠國際學生支撐起龐大的人力需求，但近來邊境管制使得人數銳減，BellaBot 則有效地減緩了在此情形下的人力短缺。
A Sydney restaurant is using a Chinese-made, multi-lingual hospitality robot to address chronic staff shortages as Australia's economy begins to recover from COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures.
The robot waiter is programmed to know the layout of the tables and delivers food from the kitchen. It is also multi-lingual, programmed to communicate in English and Mandarin. The so-called BellaBot is built by the Chinese firm PuduTech.
Each machine costs about ,000. They can be leased for per day for each device, or the equivalent of two hours' wages for restaurant staff. The devices are in use in other Australian restaurants and imports into Australia appear to be unaffected by recent trade tensions between the two countries.
Liarne Schai, the co-owner of the Matterhorn Restaurant in Sydney, is delighted with her new mechanical staff member.
"Ah, love the robot. Love the robot, she makes my life a lot easier. It is like a tower that has got four trays. It will carry eight of our dinner plates in one go. She is geo-mapped to the floor (customer names, location of tables, etc.) The robot knows where all our tables are," Schai said.
Australia's hospitality workforce has traditionally relied on international students. They have, however, been restricted from entering after Australia closed its borders to most foreign nationals in March 2020 in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Labor shortages are affecting not only hospitality in Australia, but a range of industries from construction to information technology.
Liarne Schai says she has tried for months without success to recruit workers.
"It is the biggest issue we have at the moment. We have been running ads for chefs, for waiters, for kitchen hands for six months and we have had zero applicants. We are offering above award wages, we are offering bonuses, we are offering everything you can think of to attract appropriate staff and I am not even getting inappropriate staff, or untrained staff. I am just getting nobody."
Labor shortages should ease when Australia reopens its borders to foreign nationals, but analysts expect many vacancies will remain unfilled.
Employer groups have demanded that Australia increase its intake of migrant workers.
Australia's official unemployment rate stands at 5.2%.
But with more than 700,000 Australians without a job, there are calls for the government to boost domestic training programs and wages.
Language Notes
註 1： address 解決 ( 問題 )
註 2： chronic 長期的
註 3： equivalent 等值的物品、金額等
註 4： curb 遏止
註 5： intake納入
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Check your comprehension!
Choose the BEST answer to each of the questions below. After you finish, highlight the parentheses to reveal the hidden answers.
1. ( B ) Compared to restaurant staff's, BellaBot __________.
(A) costs more but works more efficiently
(B) costs less but works less efficiently
(C) costs less but works less efficiently
(D) costs the same but works more efficiently
2. ( C ) Why do the restaurant owners fail to recruit workers?
(A) They don't want to offer more benefits.
(B) The work load is too heavy.
(C) There is a lack of labor.
(D) They only offer short-term jobs.
3. ( A ) What is the main cause of the labor shortage?
(A) the closure of borders
(B) the downturn of the economy
(C) the lack of inner needs
(D) the low birth rate
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