McRobots

This idea was inspired by S. Clemens' Tom Sawyer

You walk up to one of the several terminals set into a counter, and choose your order. After a quick swipe of the credit card, a throng of small wheeled robots scurry around to prepare your order, on the other side of a large glass window.

Magic? Me thinks not, cause here is the rub.

Each robot is run by a person. The person does not know he is running a robot, though. The person is playing an on-line role playing game, who's subroutines match subroutines for the robot.

Let me explain...

You order a crispy chicken sandwich combo meal. An on-line gamer, tied to a sandwich making robot, enters a dungeon level whose rooms correspond with the different stations the robot must go to for the sandwich material.

Player enters room one, skirts around fellow player (another robot working on a different customers order), picks up enchanted chain-mail (retrieves chicken patty from dispensing unit), exits room and travels down corridor to another room (goes back to sandwich assembly station # 23) and engages in melee with a wraith (places patty on bun) ... so on and so on.

Battery life of robot is represented as health of the player. When health gets low, player must go to an inn and rest (robot docks with charging station).

Stocking robots fill dispensers with meat patties, cheese slices, lettuce, tomato slices, etc, by means of puzzle-style game where players find puzzle pieces and bring them back to the board to place in correct spot, etc.

What this all equates to is a work-force that is *paying you* to work, and a restaurant that would attract an enormous amount of costumers based solely on the novelty of watching hundreds of small robots scurrying about to make their food.

Additional Notes:

[Wagster] Anytime a player stops playing, hits pause, dies, etc, another player can be inserted into that spot (one that was not previously controlling a robot) by having his character fall into a "secret level". Secret levels would, of course, offer better items so as to ensure the replacement would be less likely to saunter off before the order is complete.

[mylodon] To help ensure productivity, the point system for the game will reward game-play that makes for efficient order completion. This will sub-consciously make better workers via operant conditioning (see B. F. Skinner). **Enter new ethical objections** Levels will be attained by score, and higher level players will take priority in controlling robots.

[2 Fries] The robots will have water-proof and ruggediz(s)ed construction. There will be a steam-cleaning, spray-nozzled, archway positioned en-route to the charging stations

* * * * * * * This bit is my personal favorite * * * * * * *

Sooner or later there will be less on-line gamers playing than is required to run the restaurant. When a robot no longer receives any controller input, it will

1. Move directly to the waste receptacle and dump whatever it may or may not be carrying.

2. Drive over directly behind the view window, and parade back and forth while a small sign is extended out of it's casing that reads one of the following messages "We demand a 401K", "More pay, Less hours", "No raise, No work!", "We want health-care".

That's right. If an order cannot be completed, the customer's money will be refunded and, hopefully, watch the "robots strike" will alleviate any ill-feelings.