Robots received a warm reception from diners and staff at senior living facilities during a recent pilot. The study, conducted by the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW) and launched in June 2022, explored the growing trend toward using robots in dining rooms as a result of workforce challenges.

The pilot tested the Servi robot by Bear Robotics in Front Porch communities at San Francisco Towers (SFT) and Casa de Mañana (CDM), according to a recent story on the FPCIW website. Focus groups and interviews with residents and staff helped gauge the pilot’s success.

FPCIW posted these results:

• 65% of residents believed that the robots improved their overall dining experience (+36 points from baseline).
• Over half (51%) of residents felt that the robots allowed the staff servers to spend more quality time with the diners (+32 increase).
• 51% of servers “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they were excited about the robots by the end of the pilot, an increase from 40%.
• 58% of servers said that the robots allowed them to spend more quality time with residents, up from 48% before the pilot.

Other reported benefits included increased time for staff and residents to spend together, plus “faster service, improved employee safety and wellbeing, reduced overtime, boost to employee recruitment and retention, and more fun and morale,” said the story.

For detailed information, please read the full pilot study report.

If you missed it earlier, please also see a related article, “How Restaurants Are Using Robots,” which appeared in the October issue of Tech Time.