When robots cook

Such a kitchen is definitely a first in Hamburg. The large stainless-steel cube with glass and lighting elements was developed by the start-up Goodbytz, and resembled something straight out of a science fiction film. Inside the futuristic unit, a robotic arm calmly manages eight induction hobs with pots, which were previously filled with ingredients to the exact gram by a screw conveyor. In order to prevent anything from burning, the pots are rotated at 180 revolutions per minute. Meanwhile, another arm garnishes the food with spices or sauce. A dishwasher for the pots is also integrated into the cube. The sophisticated system is capable of preparing 150 dishes per hour. With a life cycle of approximately five years, this amounts to some 6.75 million dishes. The robotic kitchen is also set to be a useful solution for ghost kitchens. Plans are also underway for a flagship restaurant in Hamburg's city centre.

Whether shaken or stirred, if you're looking for a refreshing cocktail after a day at the casino, you will find just what you are looking for here – but don't expect much chat from the bar staff. They are namely industrial robots, who prepare drinks from the myriad of bottles suspended above them. After guests place their order via a tablet, the robots reach up to collect all of the required ingredients and mix them together to create the drink, which is then served complete with a slice of lemon and ice. The show concept is also the perfect fit for the world capital of entertainment, and presents an additional bonus for operators: sore muscles after a long shift of mixing cocktails are a thing of the past.

Second helpings all round! Here, more than 40 robots are used to prepare Chinese, hot pot and fast-food meals for some 600 guests. Robot waiters with large LED eyes attend to diners, taking their culinary requests and delivering trays of desserts. The preparation of hot dishes is also highly automated; the noodle robot, for instance, can serve up 120 portions per hour. Robotic claws suspended from the ceiling then transport the plates into the dining room. However, the actual task of taking plates to the table is still reserved for classic human waiting staff. A little bit of tradition is always welcome – after all, the XXL robot restaurant is located in the Shunde district of Foshan, the cradle of Cantonese cuisine.

Here, robots welcome guests with a level of service that far exceeds a mere host bot. From dish recommendations to serving food, the friendly, wide-eyed robot takes care of the entire experience. The award-winning Avator Robot Café is a also real-world laboratory for inclusion and integration – the robots are remote-controlled by people with restricted mobility for health reasons. This even gives patients who are bedridden the opportunity to participate in everyday life once again.

In the high-tech hub of California, several companies have joined forces to turn their vision of a fully automated restaurant into reality. To prepare the food, CaliExpress uses a robotic duo – one takes care of the burgers while the other makes the fries. "Nowadays, we just can't find enough staff to operate the deep fryers and grills," states the company. "Such tasks can be dangerous, and automation provides a good solution to these problems." Customer contact also relies on facial recognition and AI technology. This means that the fast-food preferences of return customers are – quite literally – seen in their faces, and there are no nasty surprises upon first bite: "Now, every burger is made in exactly the same way."

Behind the scenes, food is still prepared the classic way by humans. However, at the "world's first looping restaurant", serving is a sight to behold, guaranteed to make even the hungriest mouth fall open in astonishment. The entire restaurant is fitted with shiny stainless-steel rails that transport orders previously placed on touchscreens. Mini trolleys loaded with pots, bottles and desserts in jars glide down the spiral routes to the tables below.

Vending machine restaurants are a true classic. After all, walls replete with illuminated compartments holding all kinds of tasty treats behind transparent doors have been around for more than 100 years. Now, the company Automat Kitchen has relaunched the tried-and-tested concept with a digital twist. Food is not sent to the compartments until it has actually been bought. Customers place their orders on terminals with touchscreens, and the dishes are freshly prepared by employees. They are then ready for collection from the vending machine compartments a few minutes later.

Complete with doll's head and chef's hat, NooBot may well appear a little strange upon first sight. This makes it all the more impressive, however, when it starts to show off its skills. Every minute, it shaves off 150 dao xiao noodles from a block of dough and places them directly in a pot to cook. "The noodles should be like leaves: thick in the middle and very fine at the edges," explains restaurant founder Nan Pustelnik-Zhao. And NooBot slices them to perfection. A traditional dish from Northwestern China, the noodles are often served with sesame and peanut sauce, diced pork belly or miso soup with tofu and vegetables.

It doesn't always have to be a stone oven. Sometimes, a bright red vending machine will also do. It prepares fresh pizza round the clock – and completely without any human assistance. After the dough has been freshly mixed with flour and water, it is moulded into shape and topped with tomato sauce and other ingredients. The pizza is then baked at a high temperature for just three minutes until crispy – prego!

The bowl franchise is well aware of the potential offered by automation. "The pandemic made the existing problem even worse," states founder Dennis Grote when describing the strained labour market. "There is an especially acute shortage of qualified and experiences chefs. We can run the restaurant with just two employees, but without robots, we would need another three chefs." The automated kitchen is equipped with seven black pots, which are automatically filled with ingredients and turned 45 degrees. Infrared technology heats the pots to 180 degrees, and the cooked meals are automatically transferred to bowls when ready. Hot water from pressurised nozzles then cleans the pots, and the process starts all over again. Human employees are only required to add the finishing touches of salad, raw vegetables and grains to the bowls.

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