The AI robot chef that can flip pancakes

The Japanese have been having a huge problem with their population. It's no secret that their population growth has been negative for the last two decades. At this rate, they might be in for tough times, with the average age of the population in the high 50s at the moment. This probably is why their dependence on humanoid robots have been increasing exponentially in the last decade.

Humanoids constructed over the years can play soccer and ping-pong. There’s now even AI-powered robots that make coffee and dive into the ocean floor scouring for treasure. Now, an amusement park in Japan has achieved the inevitable - create a restaurant where there are more humanoid workers than humans.

Henn-na, the futuristic restaurant

The restaurant at the Huis Ten Bosch's smart hotel has been in the news for its robotic chefs. The restaurant works on the buffet model of serving. The humanoids prepare dishes in plain sight, on the other side of the glass windows in their kitchen.

The robot chef can mix flour to create the batter, flip pancakes and season them perfectly. Since the day it has been commissioned, it hasn't dropped a single pancake. It is also capable of making Chinese-styled fried rice, doughnuts, and cocktails.

At the moment, the robot chef is more about customer attraction than efficiency. Nevertheless, the management believes the scenario will improve in the future. Right now, the humanoids are there as an experiment, to figure out how feasible it is to run a restaurant with machines instead of humans.

Humanoids at the help desk

Just like their counterparts at the restaurant, the hotel staff is predominantly humanoids as well. As a guest, you get welcomed by a group of ten robots who usher you into the atrium. At the Help Desk, there are robots which can assist you with details to your room and in stashing your belongings in the locker room. They also maintain the register for the check-in and check-out procedures and make sure that the process goes smooth.

The rooms do not need keys since they use facial recognition instead. Also, the room temperature is monitored by detecting body heat. They have also adopted the 'smart housing' techniques,

For all these innovations, you might think the rates to a room might be quite expensive. But on the contrary, single rooms start at $62 per night with twin beds coming at $80 per night.

Robots of the future

These days, with the inter-dependency of AI and robotics, we can look forward to intelligent robots. These AI-powered humanoids can replace humans working in dangerous working conditions and in redundant jobs. This can further help in improving the efficiency of the human workers.

The robot chefs, with the help of AI, can learn to improvise on different cuisines in the future. This could be a viable business model for businessmen looking to convert their restaurants into smart kitchens.

Original post: The AI robot chef that can flip pancakes at AI Hub for Businesses - Machian Future