US restaurant operator Cali Group has announced the deployment of kitchen automation technology into a burger restaurant to fight the spread of COVID-19.
AI-driven robots developed by Miso Robotics are now cooking in a CaliBurger kitchen in Pasadena, southern California to reduce the amount of human contact with the food being prepared.
Called Flippy, the autonomous robotic kitchen assistant uses proprietary machine learning and robotics control software to automate both the grill station and fry station.
Miso Robotics said its goal is to improve consistency, productivity, and sanitation while improving the dining experience.
“Miso Robotics, which was incubated at CaliBurger, is trying to find the best way to address the problem from a food-safety standpoint,” said Buck Jordan, CEO of Miso Robotics.
“Because the virus is persistent and sticks to objects, it’s better to have minimal to no humans in the loop to keep restaurants safe.
“By automating tasks such as frying and grilling, Flippy can give operators and consumers confidence that their food is being prepared in a more sterile environment.”
The technology is set be rolled out across more CaliBurger sites in the coming weeks.
