First they came for our burgers; now they’re coming for our salads.
We’re talking about robots, of course — those highly-trained, super-mechanized creatures that have not only been programmed to help us flip patties, but to create healthier meals as well. At the forefront of this robotic food revolution is a company called Chowbotics Inc, which just raised $5 million in a Series A round of venture funding to help develop “food service robots.”
Promising food (and food preparation) that is hygienic, customizable, and consistent while being accessible at all times, Chowbotics certainly seems to believe that it’s got the food industry figured out. Robots from the company will be able to create meals in restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, airports, hospitals, and just about anywhere else humans might need to eat.
Sally is Chowbotics’ flagship product. The salad-creating robot makes use of no fewer than 20 food canisters to give customers more than 1,000 different kinds of salads. So don’t ever say greenery is boring — Sally won’t hear of it.
A number of businesses have already agreed to put Sally’s salad-making chops to the test. Pilot programs are being held in California and Texas, with the robot making food in an Italian restaurant, a co-working space, and a grocery store.
There are a number of different ways Sally might be used: the robot can either be stationed in a kitchen, whereupon servers can take the finished product to patrons, or Sally can become a salad-vending machine, featuring a touchscreen and credit card machine for ordering and payment.
And because Sally is so very precise with her ingredients, customers will know exactly what goes into their salad, and exactly how many calories they’re consuming. So here’s to the future — one that features salad-making bots.
