No matter how you cut it, robots are slowly replacing humans in labour-intensive jobs. We’re used to this fact in manufacturing — say, putting cars together — but our mechanical friends are finding there way into more, uh, organic positions, such as the the humble burger chef. Yes, Miso Robotics’ “Flippy” has his eye on your gourmet brioche buns.
OK, robo-grillers aren’t anything new, but they’ve never been this portable or flexible. While Flippy comes with a touchscreen control panel, complete with emergency off button, it appears to need only minimal supervision to go about its business.
If you’re wondering how the bot can determine when a patty, breast or bun should be rotated, it includes a heat-sensing camera, so the food is cooked to thermal perfection. It also has image recognition to pick between different proteins (or breads).
Flippy can do more than just, well, flip. According to the Miso Robotics website, the machine can help with frying, prepping and even plating.
It has a more functional name, the “Kitchen Assistant”, though if technology keeps going at the rate it is, I can see Flippy snagging a few easy promotions. I mean, with hands like those, it’s fully capable of holding a pen and looking busy — perfect for middle management.
[YouTube, via The Awesomer]