Robots for Food Delivery in Restaurants It’s a good time with NRA coming up to review some of the robot servers that are “flooding” the market now. Recently a feature on CBSnews and California restaurant (see link below) Key players in this emerging market include Appetronix Inc, Euphotic Labs, Home Tech Innovation Inc, Hyper Food Robotics Ltd, Kitchen… Read More »
McDonald’s Kiosk Accessibility We don’t normally see kiosk-related content on the DailyKos but this week a couple of nice videos surfaced on McDonald’s kiosk accessibility and in particular Low Vision and the magnifier. To top it off for McDonald’s videos, we’ve included one from the new robotic server in Dallas. Robotics are NOT going away and will just… Read More »
Continuing on the contactless automat and vending machine trend, Piestro is now partnering with facial recognition payment company PopID. Artisanal Pizza Robots From NRN April 2021 — Editors note: We fully expect to see robotic food trucks in the NRF drive-thru lot outside Javits next year. Take the food to buyers is a core strategy it seems these… Read More »
Artificial Intelligence Boom in Colorado Great podcast by CPR and Colorado Matters on latest technology iterations. There is also interview with local futurist who speaks to Gig economy. Full article is located here We recommend listening to the podcast for the full details. Excerpts: Artificial Intelligence – Holly, made by Valyant A.I., is a disembodied voice that takes… Read More »
Investors, entrepreneurs and physicians at HIMSS tried to see the future through a stethoscope. Source: www.chicagotribune.com Telehealth was a big factor. Also what to do with patient generated data. “The ‘quantified self’ movement has created millions and billions of data points around consumer health that just didn’t exist a while ago,“ he said. “I think we’re finding that… Read More »
Fellow Robots is at the forefront of reimagining these uses for the best retail experience. Source: fellowrobots.com Origin of Lowes robot Posts 2026: 3,258
AI plays a key role in convenience services post-COVID rebound “Fresh Food, No Kitchen Required” was how Aramark Refreshments greeted visitors at Imagination Way, the entry point at the NAMA 2026 trade show in Los Angeles last week. That theme carried itself throughout the Los Angeles Convention Center as attendees discovered the myriad ways unattended retail technology enables… Read More »
We are right that the initial “gold rush” phase—where everyone thought they could launch a generic burger brand from a parking lot pod—has definitely cooled off. But the model hasn’t died; it’s just consolidated and matured into something more professional and data-driven. As of early 2026, the industry has moved away from the “fly-by-night” virtual brand toward more… Read More »
What It Means for Healthcare Kiosks Healthcare kiosks have spent the last decade optimizing the touchscreen experience—better UI design, faster workflows, and mobile-first patient journeys. But a demonstration circulating around HIMSS this year suggests the next interface layer may eliminate the screen interaction entirely. Researchers demonstrated a robot designed to teach artificial intelligence how to interpret human gestures.… Read More »
2026 Update — Building a website is only half the battle. To see a true ROI, you need the right audience—not just any traffic. For the self-service and kiosk industry, this requires a specialized approach to technical SEO, accessibility, and search mechanics. For complete FAQ overview see FAQ Overview. The question for us is do we want to… Read More »
Recent developments in self‑service technology for major restaurant chains Here’s our SST summary (January 25, 2026) focused on meaningful recent developments in self‑service technology for major restaurant chains (kiosks, conversational/voice AI, drive‑thru AI, robotics/automation, computer‑vision, and app/mobile ordering): Key Recent Developments AI & Drive‑Thru Ordering McDonald’s continues expanding AI applications in 2026, integrating AI across operations—improving drive‑thru accuracy and exploring… Read More »
Photo provided by the Consumer Technology Association. Tech Report from Las Vegas Everyone knows AI is changing the way we live. What became obvious walking the CES show this week is that everything from making the morning coffee to using the toilet to knowing the best route to get to wherever you’re going when you leave the house… Read More »
Walmart Self-Checkout Strategy Overview (2025) By 2025, Walmart handles self-checkout differently. Instead of just installing extra machines, they mix smart tech into the process. Artificial intelligence helps run some checkouts now. Shoppers can scan items on their phones while moving through aisles. A few stores test systems where payment happens without scanning at all. In places with higher… Read More »
Cover photo provided by the Consumer Technology Association. CES 2026 Preview Economic uncertainty hangs across much of the globe, but technology remains on the march. AI spending will continue to rise in 2026, with 68% of CEOs increasing investment, according to Teneo, the CEO advisory firm. Next week’s CES show in Las Vegas (Jan. 6-9) will preview much… Read More »
Why Self-Service Kiosks Are Taking Off in Pizzerias Common Mistakes to Avoid ❌ Replacing Staff Too Quickly Kiosks should support employees, not eliminate them during early rollout. ❌ Weak POS or Kitchen Integration Poor integration causes delays, errors, and frustrated customers. ❌ Using a Printed Menu as the Kiosk Menu Kiosk menus require guided flow, visuals, and upsell… Read More »
Big Rollout Announced, Stratacache Lawsuit and Patents Worth noting some news around Alpha Modus. Bill payment kiosk to be rolled out to thousands of locations. The AlphaCash kiosks scheduled for deployment in Q1 2026, will initially offer Check Cashing, Money Transfer, Event Tickets, and Mobile Top-Up, with additional services planned as adoption grows. They are suing Stratacache —… Read More »
Other Self-Service Verticals We Cover The Industry Group delivers comprehensive, vertically-focused coverage across the entire self-service technology ecosystem — from kiosks and digital signage to point-of-sale (POS), retail automation, and smart-city infrastructure. As a specialist media and data platform, the Group’s editorial mandate spans multiple adjacent verticals to meet the needs of OEMs, system integrators, service providers and… Read More »
Takeaway on global kiosk market — A more conservative, “real” estimate from direct industry participants—especially in the U.S.—often puts the true kiosk sector (excluding ATM, vending, and all tangential categories) at closer to $8–15 billion globally for core interactive and self-service kiosks. Below is how we define the core kiosk sector and why third-party numbers often overstate its… Read More »
How retailers can minimize in-store friction during the checkout process to drive business growth Coresight Research and Diebold Nixdorf published a report that analyzed friction in stores, especially the pain points US-based shoppers mention as a key reason to leave a store without making a purchase. Additionally, the report presents solutions for retailers covering every scenario. Case Example… Read More »
What Next For the Self-Service Industry? We heard about it last week and noted it on the homepage. Zebra has a knack for this. Think Motorola for example. Rumors were that Crestview wasn’t entirely happy with the results at Elo. Rumors of the sale were at RetailNOW. We are sad to see Elotouch, once again, sold off. They… Read More »
AI Kiosk Assist Enabled The AI Kiosk is already here folks — List of AI resources for self-service. AI Assist is the new norm in self-service. Your software. Your computer. No more Celerons (or as many)… AI Voice and AI Assist News We Liked! Voice shopping and employee voice assist tech by Walmart in 2025 KFC Drive Thru… Read More »
The Duality of AI — Advice for AI Automation Hard to believe a subject could displace Bitcoin and digital currency as the trendy subject but AI has done that. We are looking at what AI gets right and what it almost gets right. Truly self-driving cars no longer requiring human supervision and widely available are still literally decades… Read More »
Self-Service Asia We manage the Asia chapter of The Industry Group. This site is dedicated to companies that operate in Asia. If you wish to participate, send email to [email protected] or you can text 720-324-1837 Learn more about Kiosk Asia China is currently a global leader in “unattended retail” and self-service automation, largely driven by the integration of AI, 5G, and high-speed… Read More »
AI, Connectivity, Robotics In Self-Service It would hardly be an overstatement to say that artificial intelligence computing, in combination with more powerful connectivity, robotics and an explosion of data, has jump-started innovation in most industries. For the self-service industry, the technology has unleashed opportunities to boost customer experiences, oftentimes in a more economical manner. Such advancements have fostered… Read More »
Restaurant Accessibility Survey Download Restaurant Accessibility Survey — Customer loyalty is crucial for any organization, including the restaurant industry. How a restaurant treats customers with disabilities can significantly affect that loyalty and have a lasting impact on their business. Between February and March 2024, Vispero and TPGi surveyed over 600 blind and low-vision people about their experiences accessing… Read More »
Audio in High Noise Environments with AI The first unified communications product designed to leverage the full power of Conversational AI. The new AI Connect Bar combines the industry’s best microphones with a tuned, amplified speaker system into one sleek peripheral with a single USB connection to seamlessly attach to most All-in-One (AiO) touchscreen computers and kiosks. If… Read More »
Food Lockers We were happy to see the latest food locker for pickup iteration from Apex for food pickup (Applebees). New enterprise person is Zak Bertram (ex-Grubby). We first ran into Apex in 2021 when they launched food pickup lockers for college campuses. Not too long later, all the little robot delivery automation came. Remember those? The pickup… Read More »
Don’t miss NAMA 2025 May 7-9: Convenience Service Delivered Editor’s Note: Be sure and visit Crane CPI in #2331, DPL Wireless in #1874, Actineon in 2067, and Pyramid in 2249 while at the show. Zhilai is in 2640 (pizza vending machine). 365 Markets has a HUGE booth. By Elliot Maras Keeping up with today’s technology-savvy consumer is not… Read More »
The Importance and Challenges of EV Charging Infrastructure for Healthcare Providers By Dennis Carter, Director, EV Charging, LG Business Solutions USA With personal transportation in the United States transitioning to EVs (electric vehicles), healthcare administrators in hospitals and assisted living facilities are facing challenges related to their EV charging infrastructure, challenges in terms of space allocation, electrical upgrades… Read More »
Self Service Kiosk October 2024 News from Kiosk Manufacturer Association Our kiosk industry booth at IAAPA features a strong lineup of partners WESTMINSTER, Colo., Oct. 15, 2024 (PR Newswire) — Kiosk Manufacturer Association updates for October 2024, announced. As we gear up for IAAPA in Orlando this November, we’re excited to showcase our expertise in the kiosk market.… Read More »
LG EV Chargers Now Available LG Business Solutions has announced they will begin taking orders for their first Level 3 DC Charger in the United States. The new fast charger, model LG EVC175SK-PN, has been certified to UL 2594, the UL Standard for Electric Vehicle Supply Chain Equipment. The Level 3 DC Charger has a number of dynamic… Read More »
Robotic Restaurant Flippy Article by Nancy Luna on CaliExpress — she had done a couple of nice articles (here is minimum wage) Notes One employee to prepare food Nice to see Datacap technology in place. PopID uses that. We have several articles on PopID Interesting use of different height kiosks though the wheelchair height kiosk looks inaccessible via… Read More »
LG InfoComm Awards Here is LG Link LG BRINGS HOME RECORD-SETTING 15 INFOCOMM 2024 AWARDS FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION Broad range of recognition across product categories and channels underscores LG’s ability to provide customers with impactful real-world solutions LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.. July 1, 2024 –– LG Business Solutions received a fifteen awards for product innovation at InfoComm 2024, setting a record for… Read More »
You’ve Seen Flippy, Now See CLOi Nothing wrong with having a robotic cook (like Flippy). Everybody likes french fries, but we tend to like them hot. That’s where CLOi for hospitality comes in. Perfect timing and delivery for more satisfied customers. And you don’t have to tip a robot, do you? The company plans to expand its AI-powered… Read More »
Robotic Waiter Service Robots robot server waiter – LuckiBot May promo is $4200 NRA Chicago is proving to have a very high interest in robotic waiter and service robots. Automation is the mantra. Along with AI Assist of course. Key players in this emerging market include Appetronix Inc, Euphotic Labs, Home Tech Innovation Inc, Hyper Food Robotics Ltd,… Read More »