Robot waitress serves up smiles in war-torn Afghanistan

Afghanistan's first-ever robot waitress glides up to a table of curious diners in central Kabul and presents them with a plate of French fries.

"Thank you very much," the machine says in Dari, one of Afghanistan's two main languages.

Restaurant manager Mohammad Rafi Shirzad says the humanoid robot, imported from Japan and designed to look vaguely like a women wearing a hijab, has already pulled in new customers since it started working last month.

"It is interesting for many people here to see a robot in real life," he said.

"Sometimes kids jump in joy and surprise when they see the robot bring them food."