Miso Robotics has begun shipping its Flippy 2 robot, which robotizes the process of frying potatoes, onions and other foods and takes fast-food French fries and onion rings to a new level of sophistication.
The Flippy 2 robot, which has a large robotic arm and is guided by cameras and artificial intelligence, is the first to cause a stir, cooking multiple meals with different recipes simultaneously, reducing the need for catering staff and speeding up ordering at drive-through windows. It also removes frozen French fries and other foods from the freezer, dips them in hot oil and puts the finished product in a tray.
“When an order comes in through the restaurant system, it automatically spits out the instructions to Flippy. It does it faster or more accurately, more reliably and happier than most humans do it.” said Miso Chief Executive Mike Bell.
Miso engineers can see Flippy 2 robots in real time on a big screen, allowing them to fix any problems that arise. Bell says a number of restaurant chains have adopted Flippy, including Jack in the Box in San Diego, White Castle in the Midwest, and CaliBurger on the West Coast, but three other major U.S. fast-food chains that have used Flippy 2 are hesitating to advertise because of concerns that robots are taking jobs away from people.
After five years of development, Miso Robotics is now working on Sippy, a drink-making robot that takes a customer’s order, pours drinks, puts lids on, inserts straws and groups them.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.