Robot Reviews

This chef doesn’t have any ego issues, doesn't flare up if a customer complains, and doesn't even need an apron and hat.

The food business is the latest industry that robots have penetrated. Granted they may not be certified gourmets just yet, they do manage to prepare bowls of ramen noodles all day everyday to patrons of the FuA–Men or Fully Automated Ramen restaurant in Nagoya, Japan. Depending on how busy the customer traffic is, these bots could be making anywhere from 80 to 800 bowls a day. 

Created by an industrial robot maker in central Japan, the noodle shop features two robot arms – a main chef and an assistant – that prepares serving after serving of noodles in full view of customers. And the hungry customers don't notice any difference between the noodle meals "cooked" by the bots and those by human cooks. 

If anything, robot chefs would exercise more accuracy in food preparation, says Kenji Nagaya, president of Japan robot manufacturer Aisei. This includes consistency in the soup temperature, and timing precision when boiling noodles and in sprinkling the toppings – all done in under two minutes. 

Oh, and this cooking robot duo not only feeds the people who come to the shop, they also serve up some entertainment. When there's some lull in the demand, the bots use the break to engage in some amusing play. One acts as if it intends to hurt by wielding a knife, the other responds by covering himself with a lid.

It may still be noodles and some fancy tricks they're dishing up these days. Who knows what will be next in the robots' menu? Fine dining anyone?