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The absurdity of the fry robot is that they’re automating around cooking stations designed for humans, rather than modifying the cooking stations for automation
by rhplus 2y ago
The absurdity of the fry robot is that they’re automating around cooking stations designed for humans, rather than modifying the cooking stations for automation. These are consistent processes that can be automated with repetition - conveyors and timers and such. We manage to fry millions of KGs of chips (crisps) around the world, and none use robotic arms to gently shuffle a fry basket in a small vat of oil.
- gordian_NOT 2y agoSeems like a “performance” is baked into the price. You’re right, surely there are better machine optimized methods of making fries.
- nubinetwork 2y agoAutomate the process, then scale up... doing both at the same time would probably cost more.
- noobermin 2y agoThen why don't you eat a tv dinner instead of getting McDonald's? That's what you're talking about.
- rhplus 2y agoParts of fast casual food really isn’t that different to a TV dinner already. Starbucks will literally just warm your breakfast sandwich in front of you using a combo-microwave. McDonald’s uses microwaves and warming ovens for certain items, that are literally just single prepackaged portions straight from the freezer. Even sit down chain restaurants like Applebees and Olive Garden will use microwaves and poaching to bring preprepared items to serving temperature. Not exactly TV dinners, but closer to that than from-scratch cooking.
- llm_trw 2y agoBecause you don't have to clean up after yourself.
- VyseofArcadia 2y agoI'm reminded of the "donut robot" that a local place breaks out to fry apple cider donuts in the fall. It's a ring-shaped nozzle with a hopper full of batter above a long but shallow vat of hot oil with a conveyor belt running through it. Halfway through, the belt hits a bump thst flips the donuts. At the end they land in a pile of cinnamon and sugar. I'm sure the wiz-bang inefficient fry robot is just to attract attention. We could have built a machine to make fries a hundred years ago. But now a robot is doing it with AI. Cue the ooohs and ahhhs.