A high-tech robot delivers food in an office building in Shanghai. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

A high-tech robot that can pass through the office's access control system, take the lift, and avoid obstacles recently took on the role of delivery man in an office building in Shanghai, becoming a hit among white-collar workers, Chinanews.com reported.

The waist-high, cabinet-style intelligent robot has a screen on top. Delivery personnel can use a smartphone to scan the QR code on the screen, input relevant consignee information such as floor number and phone number, and then place the items into the storage unit. The robot takes care of the rest.

A man scans the QR code to input floor number and phone number of the consignee. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

The robot moves at a designated, safe speed, can pass through the access control system, and avoids obstacles automatically. Its high-tech sensors allow it to move forward after confirming that there is nothing in its way. It can also say “Hello, the robot is entering the lift, please keep away, thank you!”

After arriving at its designated floor, the robot will automatically call and send a real-time text message to the phone number in the order, and then wait for the consignee at the pre-set location.

“It used to take me time to go downstairs to pick up my take-out food, but now I can wait for my lunch in the office. It saves me a lot of time,” said a worker in Shanghai’s Hongkou District, adding that the robot was “a great idea.”

The robot heads towards the lift. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

The robot was also applauded by delivery drivers, who used to have to wait up to 10 minutes for consignees to pick up their food, but now they can just “hand it over” to the robot.

The robot has been in the office building for trial operation for over a month, and can handle an average of more than 20 lunch orders every day.