According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the startup company Botinkit in Shenzhen, China is determined to realize the idea of creating robots capable of cooking delicious dishes like human chefs.
While automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are making waves in factories and warehouses, they have yet to make a meaningful impact when it comes to food, says Shirley Chen Rui, CEO of Botinkit.
“The kitchen is the biggest industry in the world because people everywhere need to eat. However, it is still a very traditional industry today, but that is not the direction the world is heading,” said Shirley Chen Rui.
Chen, who has run a restaurant for eight years but has struggled to find a good chef and maintain food quality, believes robots will help ensure consistency in the quality of dishes in the restaurant, especially as they scale up.
Botinkit’s solution is Omni, a robot that can saute or stew, season, and clean up on its own with minimal human intervention. A kitchen operator, rather than an experienced chef, can simply select a recipe and follow the steps displayed on a touchscreen to complete the dish. They can also operate multiple robots at once.
The company uses AI to achieve the right temperature and seasoning during cooking. Chen is also exploring how AI can be used to create recipes that cater to the changing tastes of restaurants and customers.
According to Botinkit, deploying cooking robots can help restaurants cut labor costs by 30%, as well as reduce food and condiment waste by 10%.
Digital and automated kitchens are also valuable for restaurants looking to expand globally because they maintain consistency in food quality and can help owners better manage their franchises, Ms. Chen said.
Globally, Botinkit competes with companies like US-based Miso Robotics, which has deployed robotic arms to flip burgers, fry fries, make salads and more.
The Chinese startup is looking to accelerate its international expansion after raising $21 million in a Series A+ round led by CCV Capital in October.
The company also has the backing of Li Zexiang, an engineering professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (China) and a prominent investor in Shenzhen-based drone giant DJI.
According to Botinkit, the company operates in 19 countries, with Asia being its largest market. Earlier this year, the company established branches in Europe and the United States, which Chen said will be the company's main competitive markets in the future.
“In a decade, we believe the restaurant industry will move to digital kitchens, where robots and intelligent systems will play a leading role in operations, while humans will focus on creating recipes and adding a personal touch to dishes at the final stage,” Chen concluded.
