IT’S a “duck’’ dish of a different kind.

Flying drone waiters, ­already a burgeoning trend in Asia and parts of the UK, could be headed to Australian restaurants as 3D robotic technology zooms into the hospitality industry.

The drone waiters serve diners at a Yo! Sushi restaurant in London. Picture: Reuters/Neil Hall

Whizzing from kitchens to tables with drinks and plates of food on board, the new wave of autonomous drones are being seen as a legitimate alternative to human waiters thanks also to a loophole in civil aviation laws

Normally restricted from coming within 20m of people outdoors in line with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASE), flying drones are not bound by the same laws when flying indoors in Australia.

And it’s a technicality that local restaurants could take advantage of as drone waiters shape as a cost saver — and an effective gimmick.