Beachgoers lounging on the sand while robots serve them their canapes and mai tais - Singapore is one step closer to this reality, with the launch of a new food delivery service next month.
Visitors to Siloso Beach in Sentosa can soon have their meals delivered by an autonomous vehicle robot, as part of an upcoming trial by Grab and local technology company NCS.
The pilot, supported by Sentosa Development Corporation, will start early next month and last for a month, the two companies said yesterday.
Visitors can order food from two participating eateries at Siloso Beach - Ola Beach Club and Summerhouse Beach Club at Skypark Sentosa by AJ Hackett - through the Grab app, by selecting the "Mix & Match Store - Sentosa" location.
Grab app users can also access this pilot service by scanning QR codes that will be available at the Sapphire Pavilion and Emerald Pavilion, which are on the beach.
They will have to select one of these locations for the robot to deliver their food to. Users will be notified via the app when the food is ready for collection at the venues.
A Grab spokesman said the robot will travel along Siloso Beach Walk, next to the beach, as it makes its deliveries. Orders will be grouped in a way that allows the robot to deliver as many of them as possible within a single trip.
More details on the pilot's operations will be shared closer to its start date, said the spokesman.
Grab and NCS said in a joint statement that the robot is equipped with various cameras to detect obstacles around it, and has food warming and cooling technology.
It will be managed by robotmanager, an artificial intelligence-powered platform developed by NCS.
The robot will also run on Singtel's 5G standalone network - which uses dedicated 5G equipment - thereby enabling better connectivity and minimising delays in the reception and deployment of food orders.
Grab and NCS said the pilot aims to provide beachgoers with a more convenient way to get their meals.
"The joint collaboration will also provide insights... into consumers' changing dining preferences and how robotic food deliveries can improve the dining experience in popular but difficult-to-reach locations," they said.
The pilot follows a previous one by Grab that started in June last year, where a robot consolidated GrabFood orders at Paya Lebar Quarter mall. The orders were then handed to Grab delivery riders at a central collection point.
Grab had said the robot was introduced to reduce the time needed for Grab riders to navigate the mall and collect food from different stores for the same order.
The upcoming trial at Siloso Beach also comes after another food delivery pilot by foodpanda, ST Engineering and Sentosa Development Corporation, which ran from March 22 to April 9.
Under the earlier pilot, drones were used to transport food from food and beverage establishments in Sentosa and VivoCity to St John's Island.
