Robot Chefs

Technology advancements are always a treat, especially in hospitality! Artificial intelligence is continuing to advance and it has been inclining in hospitality for some time now. Automated food service, kiosks and the like are popping up around the globe! This kind of automation is exciting but how much of our industry can truly be replaced?

Automated kitchens have already made their debut in Boston in a restaurant called Splyce. The restaurant has a kitchen fully automated by machines. Customers choose their healthy bowl preference at the touchscreen order kiosks. The prepped ingredients are then placed into a self-turning, cooking pot and once prepared the contents are poured into a bowl. The bowl is then taken off the machine by a human person and garnished with fresh ingredients before changing hands to the customer. The concept was created by university students in collaboration with Michelin star Chef Daniel Boulud. The concept is quick and easy for people to use and the healthy options make it a winner among consumers. Although the kitchen is not fully automated, it paves the way of the future of dining.

Whether you don’t have the time or the urge to cook, robot powered kitchens may be a not so distant future. People are getting busier and busier and there is no changing that for the most part. The German company, Moley Robotics have introduced a solely robotic run kitchen to be on the market sometime this year! The robot arms have pre-set recipes in their library, modelled off the skills of Chef Tim Anderson. Featuring four key integrated kitchen items, including robotic arms, oven, hob and touchscreen unit, you ultimately just push a button for what you feel like eating. The recipe library is set to grow and be packed with recipes so the busy home cook can be spoilt for choice. Of course, it can also be controlled via your smartphone and their future prototypes will include the option of meals ready on arrival!

Fresh and healthy vending machine foods have been around for quite some time but the innovation we see today takes things to a whole new level! Limited for choices in Australia, there are the occasional fresh food vending machines available. Made fresh daily salads and healthy foods are scarcely available across Australia. Although many companies have tried to pop off in this industry, there doesn’t seem to be a market for it in Australia just yet. We are few and far between many other continents booming in this minority. Fresh crab and lobster, fruit and vegetables, lettuce, caviar and freshly squeezed orange juice are just a few of the items you can find across the globe!

Watch this space, what is next?