OBYS Robot wins investment for its waitering abilities
The OBYS Robot has won $50,000 of investment for winning a competition organised by ST Electronics and Spring Singapore. The team developed﻿ a prototype robotic waiter which had to be deployed in a restaurant. The robot took a year to build and the navigation software took around two years to develop. Customers enter their orders into an iPad attached to the robot's head, it then collects and delivers their order to the table, storing food and drink on a tray above its head. Another $50,000 will be awarded to the team after commercialisation of the robot.

The OBYS Robot offers hope for the future of waitering. The prototype, designed by four robotics enthusiasts, won first prize yesterday in a competition organised by ST Electronics and Spring Singapore. Their challenge was to design and build a robotic waiter prototype and deploy it in an actual restaurant. Team leader Hansen Goh (right), who works in consumer electronics, said: "We worked on the project on our own time, at nights, on weekends, in the past year... We are really excited to win so we can refine it." OBYS' shell took a year to build, while the navigation software took about two years to develop, he added. With the 26-year-old are teammates (from left) Maksim Kolin, 27, and Khor Jie Hao, 26. The fourth person, Mr Ng Wei Qi, 28, was unable to attend the event. The robot has an electronic eye close to the ground to detect obstructions 30m ahead of it, with a horizontal field of view of 270 degrees. Customers can enter their orders through an iPad attached to OBYS' head, and food and drinks are served on a tray above it. The team won $50,000. Another $50,000 will be awarded later, upon the successful commercialisation of their solutions, said ST Electronics yesterday in a statement.