DailyDirt: Robots That Ask, 'Would You Like Fries With That?'
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Robots are poised to take over a LOT of repetitive tasks that people are still doing because it's been hard to get computer vision and robot arms to replicate some kinds of detailed work. Machines are getting a better quickly, though, and plenty of manual labor jobs could be eliminated in the near future. Automation isn't quite ready to take over a huge fraction of the labor market just yet, but it might not be too long before no one will be able to joke about young kids looking for an unskilled job and upselling fries with a fast food order.- A home-cooked meal could be made from scratch by a $15,000 robot in 2018 (brought to you by Moley Robotics). Do not get in this robot's way... or else "to serve man" may have an undesired meaning. [url]
- Fast food might be prepared faster with a burger-flipping robot from Momentum Machines. A burger robot can churn out 360 burgers per hour and never ask for a raise. (But can it serve breakfast after 10:30am?) [url]
- McDonald's is installing a few self-ordering kiosks to automate some of the ordering process at its restaurants. This isn't exactly a new trend for retail establishments, but this might get a tad less appetizing when all fast food comes out of fancy vending machines. [url]
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: ai, artificial intelligence, automation, chef, fast food, food, kiosks, robots, vending machines
Companies: mcdonald's, moley robotics, momentum machines
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Robot cook... meh.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Also expect blatant lies about freshness and improved product quality. It may even deny service if it recognizes you. And if you think the machine won't spit in your meal, just see if its mechanical lubricant passed medical safety standards or if it's classified as an industrial product. Like the "food" it makes.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I have been a fan of robots ever since I was little and used to watch reruns of Lost in Space (I'm not quite old enough to have seen it when it first aired). I've always wished that I could have a personal robot that would do everyday chores. Scientists have made great strides in improving their range of motion, but artificial intelligence hasn't kept up with the physical improvements. Sure there have been some improvements; Robots can now avoid bumping into humans and avoid falling off edges, they can use voice recognition to obey some simple orders, but we're still at least decades off from being able to tell a robot to go into the kitchen and make a snack and have it be able to follow that order.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]