Is The Next Step For The Food-Processing Industry Kitchen Robots?
By Melissa Lind, contributing writer
Robotics has become commonplace in most manufacturing industries and the food industry is no different. However, few people can imagine a machine operating with the precision to make a hamburger, or other prepared foods, that looks and tastes as good as one made by a human. Despite this resistance, robotics has and will continue to make great advances in the food industry.
While food manufacturers probably won’t be using 3D printing to create sushi any time soon, intelligent machine designers are venturing into the food industry. Most people still consider food creation to be a craft that takes skill and practice to perform, but robots are mastering some aspects of food manufacturing.
Robotic technology can operate within specific parameters such as mixing, cooking time, and temperature and can do so without necessary breaks and rest time required by humans. The technology can be programmed to be precise, performing the same function, the same way, hour after hour. In fact, in some manufacturing endeavors, robots may be preferable as human intervention tends to create variability, which is not a valuable trait in manufacturing.
Related: How Robotics Is Tackling Some Of The Food Industry's Biggest Headaches
The idea of robotic makers creates a picture of tasteless, unappetizing food and while automated manufacturing is in use and many still consider robots to be useless in the kitchen. “Not so”, says British Company, Moley Robotics, which has created a fully robotic kitchen set to be marketed by 2017. The company plans to put robotic chefs in kitchens to work in collaboration, preparing delicious meals with chefs. The food-preparing robots will have two robotic hands operating in the same manner as the hands of a human. The robots will chop, mix, assemble, and cook food, while being able to prepare a mass numbers of meals. These robots will be controlled through touchscreen operations or even remotely with a mobile device.
Despite the plans for completion, widespread use of robot chefs will not be available until a number of practical issues are solved. Robots cannot currently be integrated into most kitchens, even for those who can afford them, and the cost will likely be considerable.
However, industrial food production uses robotic technology quite regularly. Automated robot systems can perform processes such as cutting, sorting, mixing, pick and place, packaging, palletizing, and loading/unloading. Robotics are in production for handling of fragile foodstuffs and frozen foods which are labor intensive or can’t be done efficiently with human workers.
Related: 3 Ways Robots Reduce Worker Safety Issues & Production Costs
The use of automated and robot technology removes some of the human-introduced unpredictability and may be safer in some cases, provided that proper cleansing and sterilization procedures are followed. Robot and automated equipment provide exceptional quality performance in terms of monitoring and controlling the food manufacturing process and do so with no labor issues.
As the demand for manufactured food increases with the growing middle class in emerging regions of the world, automated technology is becoming a necessity. The increased need for mass quantity production of food, along with labor uncertainties in some areas, make robotic technology more attractive for many manufacturers.