If the organizers of the OppiKoppi music festival in South Africa have proven that delivering beer by drones is a workable idea, could restaurants use the devices to send food to diners’ tables? The UK’s YO! Sushi has developed the iTray, a flying robot that is able to do just that.

Using a wifi-enabled Drone quadrocopter that is remotely controlled with an iPad, customers at the sushi chain’s Soho branch in London can experience the high-tech waiter service when they order one of the new YO! Burgers. The meals are placed on a tray, which is then loaded onto the drone and directed to the diner’s table using the on-board camera. The device can travel at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and a distance of 50 yards, and is able to deliver food faster than a typical waiter. The video below shows the drone in action:

As well as being a fun and unusual way to deliver a meal, the device could have practical uses if consumers become used to the idea. Although currently part of a trial, the chain says that it may roll out the iTray at its other UK outlets if it proves to be successful. Are there other ways that drone technology can be repurposed for consumer convenience?

Spotted by: Murray Orange