Old Shops, New Robots
One thing I didn’t expect to see in New York:
A robot delivering food. 😄
A real little robot, quietly making its way along the street.
And somehow, that made me notice something much more familiar:
the bodega.
This was Gem Spa, a famous East Village neighbourhood store. It sold newspapers, magazines, candy and its much-loved New York egg cream before closing in 2020.
The word bodega comes from Spanish. Originally, it meant a wine cellar or storehouse. In New York, it describes the small neighbourhood grocery or convenience store.
Soda.
Candy.
Coffee.
Deli.
Newspapers.
Ice cream.
Basically, if you suddenly need something, there’s a good chance a bodega has it. 😄
It reminded me of something from my years in the UAE:
the baqala.
Different word.
Different culture.
Much the same idea.
A small neighbourhood shop for milk, bread, drink… or whatever you suddenly discover you need.
And then New York added a futuristic twist.
A robot.
Small. Four-wheeled. Surprisingly calm in all that traffic.
It can navigate sidewalks, crossings and obstacles using cameras, lidar and other sensors.
I watched it crossing the street and wondered:
Was it actually going somewhere, or was I watching a very determined little suitcase? 😄
Apparently, it was on a food-delivery mission.
And the UAE is exploring robotic delivery too.
So perhaps the future isn’t arriving in just one place.
The bodega has been serving the neighbourhood.
Now the robot is delivering to it.
Old convenience. New convenience.
Different countries. Different technologies. Same purpose:
Make everyday life a little easier.
Perhaps that’s what fascinates me about New York.
It doesn’t choose between the old and the new.
It simply puts them on the same street. 😄
You wrote that the Gem Spa closed in 2020. What opened in its place? It is amazing that robot can navigate all the people on the sidewalk, potholes, curbs, crossing lights etc.
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