CHICAGO -- Unlike in the movies, real robots are more than willing to serve humanity. Here are some high-profile robots that have recently invaded the retail and foodservice industries.
Cafe X Technologies launched a kiosk with a robotic barista at One Bush Plaza in the financial district of San Francisco. It brews coffee, espresso, cappuccino and lattes and offers nitro cold brew and hot chocolate.
Flippy, designed by Miso Robotics, is an AI-driven robot that works alongside kitchen staff to grill and flip burgers at a CaliBurger restaurant in Pasadena, Calif. Plans are to roll out Flippy to as many as 50 CaliBurger locations by the end of 2019.
At San Francisco restaurant Creator, a robot makes ground- and garnished-to-order burgers, dispenses sauces and seasonings to the gram and cooks using precise thermal sensors and algorithms.
Delivery company Zume Pizza developed Vincenzo, a robot that uses predictive analytics to prepare and fill racks with pizza. Drivers load the racks into their vehicles, which use patented Bake-on-the-Way technology to bake the pizza just ahead of reaching the destination.
Knightscope’s K5 robot patrols a Shell gas station forecourt in San Francisco. It tracks movement, reads license plates and detects unauthorized signals.