Robot waitress serves up smiles in conflict-hit Afghanistan

A restaurant in war-torn Afghanistan is offering the citizens something to cheer about. It has deployed first-ever robot waitress to serve the customers.

The robo waitress glides up to a table of curious diners in central Kabul and presents them with a plate of French fries.

And it is not only serving the diners but is also thanking them in Afghanistan's Dari language.

The humanoid robot, imported from Japan and designed to look vaguely like a women wearing a hijab, has already pulled in new customers since it started working last month.

Timea delivers food to customers at a fast food restaurant in Kabul on Thursday.  AFP

"It is interesting for many people here to see a robot in real life," says restaurant manager Mohammad Rafi Shirzad.

"Sometimes kids jump in joy and surprise when they see the robot bring them food."

While robots are becoming increasingly commonplace in Japan and China, they are not unusual in conflict-wracked Afghanistan.

Nine-year-old Ahmad Zaki was desperate to see the machine.

"I saw the robot on TV, and asked my father to take me to this restaurant," he said.

Named "Timea" and measuring about 150 centimetres in height, the robot performs only rudimentary tasks.

It delivers plates to tables, which diners then take from a tray, and can say basic phrases including "Happy Birthday."

It also can stop when it comes across an obstacle, and customers can place orders via a touch panel.

But the story is not without controversy.

Some Afghans see Timea as a threat to the country's dire unemployment situation.

"This is ridiculously wrong," Facebook user Kashif Abobaker wrote.

"They employ a robot when there are tens of thousands of young people desperately looking for a job."

Agence France-Presse