There’s a Robot ‘Kopi Uncle’ in One Punggol Hawker Centre That Looks Lit

Last Updated on 2022-11-14 , 6:49 pm

Whenever one visits the hawker center or coffee shop for their cup of Teh Peng or Kopi Peng, they would often expect a very experienced (and angry) uncle or auntie brewing their favourite drink.

However, this is not the case if one was to visit the newly opened One Punggol Hawker Center.

A TikTok video that has been trending recently shows a robot “barista” brewing almost every local’s favourite drink.

@jiakzlim “robot, kopi o kosong di lo sua” #singapore #fyp #fypage #punggol #robot ♬ See Tình – Speedup Remix – Hoang Thuy Linh

You can also view the robot arm in action here:

Machine Brews Coffee

In the video, the robot can be seen going through the motions of what a typical hawker drink stall seller would go through on a normal day.

These motions include getting a refill of coffee powder, straining the coffee with a strainer and pouring it into another container.

If you were vigilant enough when watching the video, you can even notice the robot doing the signature “pull” that almost all drink stall owners do when the make coffee and tea.

Although the robot is the main attraction of the stall, it is not the only worker present as humans can be seen in the background seemingly settling the logistics.

Various Opinions from Netizens

The innovative idea of having a robot make coffee has attracted many people to give the stall a try.

Some inputs given were positive with one netizen saying that it is a good idea as it reduces manpower and also takeover the mundane task or brewing drinks.

Another netizen said that apparently, the robot can make 150 cups of coffee in 1 hour, which is a remarkable feat as brewing drinks can be quite a tiring task.

However, there were also netizens who did not think that a robot “barista” is a good idea with some saying that if robots were to takeover the jobs of hawker center drink makers, the cost of their coffee will be $5 in the near future due to the cost of the machinery.

One netizen jokingly said that if robots were to replace humans, nobody would be there to call him “Shuai Ge”, which means “Handsome Man” in Mandarin, when he orders his drink in the future.

In other words, losing the human touch.

And of course, it seems to be way too slow. Here’s a blue cat complaining about this:

 

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Many Other Food Stalls

Even though the hawker center is new, it contains a wide variety of food stalls which will definitely leave you spoiled for choices.

Some stalls that saw long queues since the opening of the hawker center are:

• 25 Minced Meat Noodle (#02-28)
• 75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup (#02-34)
• Kwang Kee Teochew Fish Porridge (#02-19)
• Sam Kee Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (#02-30)

If you are interested in visiting the newly opened hawker center, you can take the LRT to Sam Kee LRT station and take a two minutes walk to reach your destination.

Featured Image: TikTok (@Jiakzlim)