Nagoya Robot Ramen
Why Hacker News recommends it
Used as an early, concrete example of robotic kitchen automation when HN discusses robot chefs and baristas.
What it is
A short clip of a ramen restaurant in Nagoya where robot arms cook the noodles. Human waiters serve the food.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2009 to 2017.
What Hacker News said
Cites osipov · 2009-11 · on “Germany's 'robot' restaurant”
This made me remember the Japanese restaurant which works on the opposite principle: robotic chefs and human waiters. Video here: [this video] There is an interesting cultural dimension to Germans choosing to replace human interaction with robot interaction while Japanese choosing to replace human work with robot work.
Cites modeless · 2011-04 · on “Will this robot replace assembly line workers?”
Not without vision. You'd have to place all the tools and ingredients within reach at precisely known positions, probably all held in a special rig (like this: [this video] ). If something went wrong the robot wouldn't know and would continue executing the recipe with possibly disastrous results. Robots won't be replacing chefs until visual feedback is solved.
Cites Baeocystin · 2017-01 · on “Robot Baristas Serve Up the Future of Coffee at Cafe X”
Makes me think of that Japanese ramen shop that used similar arms from several years back. I wonder if they are still in business? [this video]