Kitchens of the future are set for an upgrade in the robotics department. Revealed at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s first ‘robotic kitchen’ will be able to prepare consumer’s favourite meals and serve them up piping hot. Once done, it will even order fresh ingredients for new meals, and wash the dishes afterward.
The technology comes from UK-based innovative robotics company, Moley Robotics, and has been developed over the last six years. The system is managed through a touchscreen interface in the kitchen, where users can scroll through recipes, ingredients and explore new dishes and dietary restrictions.
Industry experts have heralded as a new generation in food preparation. Users can pick their favourite dish, and be able to track the timeline of their food prep in real time – and even see the list of steps that the robot chef will need to take to finish the dish.
The product works via sensors and cameras that are built-in around the kitchen, and help the robot find ingredients, cookware and utensils. And for those who don’t want to outsource the cooking just yet, the robot can be used simply to clean-up, both before and after cooking.
Each robotic kitchen is fully customizable, but there are a few prerequisites; you’ll need the basics that most households have including water, electricity and an internet connection, but the robot can handle pretty much everything else. It can operate an induction stove top and oven, and it can even control the temperature and amount of water via an electronic tap.
Anyone looking to make their kitchen ‘smart’ with a robotic helper will be able to make custom design choices, including outfitting it with premium marble, onyx and Corian countertops, along with multiple design options for the cabinets too.
And price of having your very own robot chef? According to Moley Robotics CEO the smart kitchen will cost around US$250,000. However, while it’s intelligent enough to cook and clean as of right now, it will continue to learn new skills down the line.
Moley Robotics says it has received a lot of interest, and it should start to upgrade its initial robotic kitchen software and products towards the end of this year.
Photo Credit: www.restaurantware.com