Get Food Cooked by Robots at CaliExpress by Flippy

Ideas about robots have been making rounds since 1495, and with AI’s help today, most can operate autonomously. Today, you can find automation, robotics, and AI at the core of most innovations. Food handled by robots sounds like something you’d find on a five-year-old’s wish list, but they have been around for a while. In fact, California has a restaurant that touts itself as the world’s first fully autonomous AI-powered. CaliExpress by Flippy is now ready to serve your favorite snacks that are prepped by a machine.

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Cali Group is a holding company aiming to transform the restaurant and retail industries. Miso Robotics is the creator of Flippy, the smart commercial kitchen robot. PopID is a tech company that takes advantage of biometrics to provide a faster and simpler ordering and payment process. These three companies collaborated to make CaliExpress by Flippy possible. According to John Miller, CEO of PopID and board member of Miso Robotics, “To our knowledge, this is the world’s first operating restaurant where both ordering and every single cooking process are fully automated.”

Ordering process of the restaurant

When a customer enters CaliExpress by Flippy, they would see a self-ordering kiosk machine. The menu is simple: burgers, cheeseburgers, and French fries. Cooking these dishes seems to be done in a fully automated process. The grill robot, made by Cucina, grinds the beef after an order is placed. Flippy, the designated robot at the fry station, prepares the fries.

The adaptability of CaliExpress by Flippy helps restaurants deliver consistent quality of food. It must be noted that only the ordering and cooking process seems to be automated despite the claim that it’s the world’s first fully autonomous AI-powered restaurant. Apart from that, the owners mentioned that workers can avoid accident-prone tasks like frying and grilling with the help of these robot cooks. Cross-contamination could be avoided, and prep time could be lessened, too.

Cooking with AI?

While cooking robots are impressive, people might wonder where the AI factor comes in. Could these robots learn user behavior and make intelligent decisions on their own? Or are they just programmed to function just like our regular everyday appliances? As with most machines and equipment, CaliExpress by Flippy would still require the assistance of a small kitchen crew.

Read more: Restaurants Going Beyond Their Menu with Technology

Miso Robotics said that CaliExpress by Flippy is using the company’s AI-powered computer vision called AutoBin. According to the company, this bin automatically identifies the food using an AI camera and can be customized for a kitchen’s specific needs. The food prepared by the cooking robot is said to follow precise timing and temperature with the help of the data acquired during the process.

For those who might want to give Flippy a try, head on to 561 E. Green St., Pasadena, California, to grab a bite. The limited-time pop-up store is open all week, from 11 am to 5 pm. Private events via reservation may be held at night. Reservations may be made on their website.

Video: CaliExpress by Flippy (promotional robotics video clip)

Photo Credit: All images shown are owned by Miso Robotics and have been made available for press usage.
Source: PR Newswire