Who Wants A Burger? A “Robot Burger?”
Yes, that is a Robot making some cheeseburgers!
Would I eat a cheeseburger made by a robot? Would you?
Meet “Flippy!”
Yes, that’s the name for this hamburger-making Robot. I found this story on Newswer, who reported:
“Fast-food chain CaliBurger is using a robot called Flippy at its Pasadena, Calif., location, KTLA reports. A human employee loads up the grill with raw burger patties, and Flippy uses thermal imaging, 3D and camera vision to detect the temperature and size of the patty as well as the temperature of the grill surface in order to know when to flip the burger and when to remove it from the grill. It also uses artificial intelligence as it cooks burgers to learn how to do it even better. A human employee adds cheese and toppings. A press release calls Flippy, which can also clean spatulas and uses separate spatulas for raw versus cooked meat, “the world’s first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant.”
KTLA went to the restaurant and spoke to the CEO of the company:
“The key to success in the restaurant industry is consistency. So anytime you go to a CaliBurger anywhere you know that the patty will be cooked exactly the same,” says the CEO of Cali Group, the chain’s parent company. The CEO of Miso Robotics, which developed Flippy and says the minimum cost of the robot is $60,000, says it’s “not about replacing jobs” but about helping kitchen employees. “The kitchen of the future will always have people in it, but we see that kitchen as having people and robots,” he says. Adds the Cali Burger CEO, “It’s not a fun job—it’s hot, it’s greasy, it’s dirty.” He tells USA Today the restaurant sees high turnover in the position for that reason. Flippy, says the Miso CEO, is simply a helpful “third hand” that doesn’t mind doing that job. Flippy can grill 150 burgers per hour, NPR reports.
As always, these Robots are controversial for a number of reasons – but here’s a truly controversial use in Spain: a Robot that makes Paella?
Paella (pai·ei·uh) is a classic Spanish rice dish made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood cooked and served in one pan.
The marriage of fresh seafood, meat and spices is one that must be coaxed and sweated over…there is nothing mechanical about creating food art!
Except one company decided to try!
As The Guardian reported:
“Since it was unveiled at a hospitality industry fair last month, the world’s first robotic paellero has been causing a bit of a stir. Set the programme, load the sofrito, rice, stock and seafood, leave it alone and the robotic arm, which is hooked up to a computerised stove, will do the rest.”
Let me add the next line:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
The robotic Paella making Chef is a joint project between a company called “br5” (Be A Robot 5) and a Paella stove manufacturer called Mimcook – and they say there is interest from hotel and restaurant chains,
Check out my story on this Paella-making machine here – and I included a “human made” Paella recipe to make it worth your time:
Look, robots are part of our world – they have been for awhile and are becoming more a part of our daily lives everyday in the future – but there is something to be said about the “creative artistry” of cooking that can’t be mechanized like this…
I simply don’t see how a dish with this much flavor and passion can be broken down into a “combine all ingredients and stir” mentality.
Of course, I made some traditional Spanish Paella recently:
I love it so much – I use Langoustines, Mussels, Clams, Chorizo and Chicken Thighs and of course lots of Saffron and Smoky Paprika as well! You can see the entire recipe here:
Now Serving – Chinese Food Chefs!
And leave it to China to come up with a classic new use of Robotics – to make noodles!
Want some noodles? Just plug your Chef in and watch what happens!
China’s Latest Robot “Noodle Bot!”
Chinese restaurateur Cui Runguan is selling thousands of robots that can hand slice noodles into a pot of boiling water called the Chef Cui.
Runguan says that just like robots replacing workers in factories, “it is certainly going to happen in sliced noodle restaurants.” The robots costs $2,000 each, as compared to a chef, who would cost $4,700 a year.
According to one chef, “The robot chef can slice noodles better than human chefs.” News of Runguan’s invention hit the internet in March of 2011, and these Robots have never looked back!
Check it out in action:
It seems that Robots are ready to take over much of the mundane nature of food preparation…look at this “salad making” Robot:
Do you care if your food is prepared by a living breathing person or a robotic arm like this? They are being used more than you think! Who wants an Omelet?
Let me know your thoughts!
And while you are in Las Vegas, ask a Robot to make you a drink!
See that story here:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Cheeseburgers, Food, Food Porn, Food Travel, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Just wondering…. How do they stay clean?
Good question, and do they have a bot for that?
Great questions and answer!
Yeah, but can they taste the sauce for seasoning?
How much do they cost, and how does that compare with the crappy wages they pay kitchen staff?
The list could go on….
Agree with that for sure…
Hi John, this is the way of the future. The World Economic Forum is talking about world wide benefits systems for low level employees who will be displaced. This doesn’t take care of the human need to work and feel valued though.
Great point – and with AI beginning to take over many functions normally performed by people, we will see how disruptive that is to our workforce as well…
🌈🤗
Don’t mind a robot doing the flipping of burgers. Actually making the food is an art that I feel require a human touch
Well stated! Here in the US, the Chipotle burrito chain has robots that separate avocado from their pits…then their workers make the guacamole
Sounds like good use for them
I think we can find good roles for the robots, like the avocado one you mentioned above, but I love the human touch when it comes to food, some of it is improvised by a chef on the spot or changed to accommodate the person who will eat the food.
You have to have the human touch – unless it is manufactured food that is no different that ripping open a bag and sticking it in the microwave…food should have much more joy than that!
I soooo agree
A cheap burger made by robots might be acceptable for fast food chains, but an expensive high-end restaurant must continue to use chefs. Once the robot novelty wears off, experienced diners will demand real people create their food, I feel sure of that.
Best wishes, Pete.
I think using robotics for things like peeling avocados is fine, but once the creative aspect kicks in we need the human touch! Thanks for the comment!