Slashdot Mirror
Computer Manages Restaurant Workers
9x320 writes "The chicken restaurant chain Zaxby's has started to use computers with software by Hyperactive Technologies to direct employees what to do and when to do it, and to decide how many should come to work. The computer works through the use of sensors, analysis of historic data, and touchscreens. The article compares the software to that in a science fiction novel published only just a few years ago, except the computer, Manna, also carried a voice synthesizer."
Getting past the blogodreck, the real website of Hyperactive Bob is scary. "Managing Chaos (Humans Not Included)". This is a robot scheduling and control system from CMU, originally developed to manage groups of robots in factories. In this application, people are substituted for the robots to lower costs. Really. "The kitchen is quiet with Bob", because employees no longer need to talk. "80% reduction in training costs" for kitchen staff.
The system (which is physically a PC, some cameras, some touchscreens, and a link into the POS system) takes about two days to install. Then it watches everything for two weeks, while it learns the customer and staff patterns.
Then it takes over.
People should work. Machines should think.
Obviously, you never worked in a resturant when the computer system goes down. It's funny as heck. The wait staff has to learn how to count money (although their ability to calculate the tip is not diminished). The line cooks can't read handwriting (even in Spanish!) for orders. Bartenders stick their head in ice since they haven't memorized how do any drinks that isn't straight off the tap. Managers are threatening to fire anyone if their table leaves without paying.
:P
As Scotty said in Star Trek 3: "The more complex the plumbing, the easier to clog the drain." Ahh, matey, I welcome our computer overlods for a very different reason.