There’s a robotic uprising in the world’s kitchens; all it wants is for you to be healthy and well-fed. From restaurant dining rooms and serving lines to the countertops of your own home, robotic assistance is making food easier and more fun. And this isn’t a thing of the future; from now on, you’ll see more robots serving your food, bussing your table, and calling you to dinner.
Robots Can Serve!
From Houston to New York to Florida, restaurant-goers are greeted by an unexpected host at modern restaurants: the smiling emoji-like screen of the BellaBot serving assistant developed by PuduTech. For many people, this 130-pound robotic server is the first of the new generation of robots rolling into the world’s restaurants. Equipped with 3D sensors and four induction trays for carrying food, the BellaBots navigate restaurant floors to deliver food to tables and even carry dirty dishes back to the kitchen.
Robots Can Cook!
Like their human counterparts, robotic servers are the face of a restaurant, while robotic cooks bring all-important flavor to the back of the house. Automatic cooking machines known as PizzaBot and Alpha Grill have joined their human coworkers to help keep hundreds happy and well-fed during dinner hours.
PizzaBot’s specialty is precisely dispensing toppings for its human collaborators. Alpha Grill can cook 200 burger patties per hour and then clean its systems. The industrious I-Robo stir-fry robot can prepare 30 meals per hour from start to finish.
Robotic Home Cooking!
If you’ve got the counter space for an automatic mixer or a blender, you’ve got the space for Nymble, the fully autonomous cooking robot that does it all. “Nymble is the ultimate culinary hack,” says Raghav, CEO of the Nymble company. “It’s the secret weapon that empowers anyone to whip up restaurant-worthy meals with the push of a button.”
Described as a robot that uses computer vision to mimic human intuition, Nymble handles the entire cooking process (once users pre-measure and load ingredients. It’s not going to organize your fridge for you!). During its 18-month beta period, its trial users have settled into using it for three meals per week, a practical and appealing source of home cooking. Among its most popular recipes have been spaghetti mushroom alfredo and tikka masala.
Nymble robots are being prepared to fill over a thousand pre-orders to ship in September, with new orders opening in January 2025. Robotic home cooking looks like it’s going to be popular! But the Nymble company wants to assure you, “This isn’t just about cooking.” They say, “It’s about culinary liberation. It’s about ditching the takeout menus. It’s about discovering the thrill of home-cooked meals without the hassle. It’s about embracing our robot overlords (they told me to say that).”
The Robotic Future of Dining
Costing restaurants around $10,000 each, BellaBots aren’t out to take anyone’s job, but they can be a long-term investment in assuaging operational and labor costs by helping human workers keep their restaurant clean and their guests happy.
While BellaBots roll around dining rooms, happily chirping and winking at guests as they deliver food and collect dishes, robotic cooks like PizzaBot, I-Robo, and Alpha Grill join line cooks in keeping crowds happily fed with perfectly prepared food. And if you don’t feel like going out, Nymble could be waiting on your countertop, ready to cook up your favorite.
The human component remains essential (for now). Humans have to load food on the BellaBot, assemble the Alpha Grill’s burgers, finish PizzaBot’s pizzas, and measure ingredients for Nymble. Still, these small steps are part of the human-robot relationship.
Your Nymble-cooked meal is still home cooking, just with an adaptable, automated assistant. Food preparation looks a little different in the future, with more robots helping out, but the important part is that it gets you better, healthier food.
