A Robot That Flips Burgers

The robot that flips burgers has begun work at a restaurant in Pasadena, Los Angeles. The robot is named Flippy. For the obvious reason that he “flips” burgers.

Flippy’s First Shift

Flippy started his first shift in Pasadena. This is the first of the dozens of locations for the system. This technology is said to replace human fast-food workers.

What is Flippy

Flippy is basically an arm with a spatula. Its primary function is to flip burger patties. According to sources, Flippy did its job well. But human workers can relax. Even a mechanical worker needs a time off.

Flippy was created by Miso Robotics. It made its debut at CaliBurger in Pasadena. According to Miso Robotics, Flippy did its job well. But he was overwhelmed by many. So its creator decided to let it take a few days break for some upgrades.

According to Miso, they need to perform test on the robot. This is to ensure that the location can fulfill a large number of orders.

Flippy’s Return To Work

Flippy will resume its burger duty next week. But his shift will only be for a limited time. That is 11 AM until 2 PM. This is just to cover the lunchtime shift.

More About Flippy

Flippy is more of an automation than a human replacement. It uses a machine vision to locate burgers on the grill and time how long they’ve been cooking. And flip them when needed.

Will It Replace Humans?

Flippy will not replace human workers totally. Flippy’s task is just to tend to the burger patties. Human workers will still have to put cheese, assemble orders and take customer’s orders.

Flippy is just basically a primary attraction just like those Chinese restaurants who use robot waiters.
Despite gimmicks, robots are finding their place to more occupations. CaliBurger is planning to use Flippy in 50 locations around the US. Miso Robotics is only one of a number of startups using the latest technology to automate the food industry.

Startup Momentum Machines has raised $18 million to take its burger robots into fast-food joints. Other companies are building machines that make pizzas and salads.