Robots step in to cook and serve food in S. Korea

[Photo by Park Hyung-ki]

High-tech has come in handy in what South Koreans love to do most – eating - as robotics have kicked in to take in charge from packaging to cooking and waiting to meet ever-growing demand and competition for ready-made meal packages as well as solving labor cost issues for diners.

Avokado Lab Inc. is a homegrown up-and-coming startup enabling automated mass production of freshly-readied meal and automated kitchen. It has developed a module-type cooking robot capable of making 150 salad bowls in an hour. The machine – located inside a kitchen space managed by the company in Gwanak District, southern Seoul – sorts and packages salad ingredients including grilled meat into bowls running on the conveyer belt.

Avokado Lab has also developed a cooking robot that can whisk out fast casual dining menus like chicken, pizza, hamburger, rice with toppings, noodles, and beverages. The robot armed with AI technology and big data can fry, grill, steam and choose ingredients. Integrating AI allows the robot to sort out order log according to delivery schedules and identify ingredient location and kitchen environment.

Avokado Lab has successfully completed its year-long trial operation at its kitchen with many dishes made by its robots well received by consumers and will open a 70-pyong (2,491-square feet) delivery store in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, later this month. The store will serve yoghurt and pasta dishes of as many as 20 brands including salad startup Sweet Balance.

Benjin Kim, co-founder and chief executive of Avokado Lab, said that the company has learned from the test operation that robots can be as good as humans at controlling food quality.

There are also AI-based robot chefs that are built to emulate the taste of Michelin chefs.

Seoul-based Beyond Honeycomb is a food-tech startup that attaches a small sensor to kitchen utensils of famous chefs to analyze recipe in molecular units before digitizing and accumulating data.

AI learns the data over 48 hours and applies it to a robot.

Steve Jung, chief executive of Beyond Honeycomb, said that the tastes of thick meat patties depend largely on ingredient storage status and how much juice is on meat surface. The CEO noted that famous hotel chefs overcome various variables with cooking experience and knowhow.

Beyond Honeycomb is currently developing various luxury casual dining menus like handmade hamburgers, sandwich, and salad. It will open its first flagship store next month. It plans to secure recipes of renowned chefs from around the world to develop a platform.

Future Kitchen is another Korean startup that is engaged in development of a versatile robot that cooks and delivers. The company is working to penetrate into Korea¡¯s most popular delivery food chicken. Its primary goal is to complete a trial dish within this year that automates 50 percent of chicken cooking procedure. It plans to add more menus like pizza and tacos in the future.

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