... latest entry regarding automation making inroads into 'professional' jobs ... from
(snip)Visitors to the inaugural Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Asia in Shanghai on Monday were cooked food by a robotic kitchen, the first of its kind according to its creators.
Designed by London-based Moley Robotics, the automated kitchen consists of two large robotic arms which can construct dishes based on an iTunes-like library of recipes. The arms were designed by the Shadow Robot company, which also provides technologies to NASA, and consist of 20 motors, 24 joints and 129 sensors allowing them to mimic the movements and dexterity of human hands.
Chef Tim Anderson, a former winner of the BBC's Masterchef competition, acted as a recipe consultant, developing the crab bisque dish that was served to visitors at CES Asia.
“I chose crab bisque as a dish because it’s a real challenge for human chef to make well, never mind a machine," Anderson said.
"If it can cook a bisque, it can do stir-fries and we’re looking forward to teaching it many more recipes in the months to come.”
On display at the conference was full-scale reproduction of Moley's mass-market device, designed to fit in regular kitchens and featuring smaller control arms and dishwashing functionality.
The device - still a prototype for now - is expected to go on sale in 2017, with a library of more than 2,000 dishes.
The robotic kitchen can cook any dish that the chef is able to create as it simply replicates what a human does, said Moley founder and chief executive Mark Oleynik.
“For that reason there is no limit on the amount of recipes,” he said.
More work has to be done on the development of the robotic hand technology and the accompanying kitchen equipment before it can hit the market, he said.
The product on display included a fully equipped kitchen, though there will also be the choice to have the robot integrated into an existing kitchen, he said.
“Some Chinese recipes may require additional equipment, such as a rice steamer, for example. Whatever equipment the chef has used, the robot should also have one. The kitchen robot is able to work with any additional equipment required for the preparation of the dish,” he said.(snip)
Unlike earlier automation applications which have eliminated 'unskilled' human worker jobs, the robot chef is part of a new generation of automation which seeks to replace 'skilled' human workers. A previously cited example was automatic prescription drug dispensing machines which allows a single pharmacist to effectively fill prescriptions at several different locations at the same time. The Robot Chef follows along similar lines in that effectively allows one 'skilled' human chef to cook several dishes at once.
Proponents obviously point to the fact that this new generation of automation technology makes 'professional' workers 3 times more productive. Detractors obviously point out the fact that if a 'professional' pharmacist, 'professional' chef, etc. are 3 times more productive thanks to this new technology, employers will only need to hire 1/3rd as many human 'professionals'.
How much did you say tuition cost at that culinary school ?



Reply With Quote


Bookmarks