The technology to conquer the human world is a fear of many people-a terrible prediction, usually in the form of humanoid robots. Although the complex world of artificial intelligence and metal machines is still a concern for most of us as they continue to slowly integrate into our daily lives, South Korea seems to be completely different. On the contrary, the government is willing to introduce robots into society, first of all the bright-eyed and thick-haired youths in the capital Seoul. Although robots that interact with children for educational purposes are not entirely new—they have been used to teach social skills to children with autism—but this is the first time that new technology-based teaching aids have been tested in kindergartens to help children learn. As we speak, it is happening. This is how it works.
As originally reported by The Guardian, the Seoul government stated that the city is home to a pilot project aimed at helping young people prepare for the high-tech future. There are currently 300 nurseries and childcare centers that are testing robots, and the government recommends that the program is suitable for children aged 3 to 5.
Although the "Alpha Mini" manufactured by UBTECH Robotics is small, it is making its debut in the field of academic services. The purpose of the design of the robot is to educate, it is by no means a toy-it is specially designed to help teachers with young children in the classroom. The robot assistant is 24.5 cm tall and can perform a variety of tasks, including dancing, leading singing, and reciting stories. Alpha Mini is also equipped with the ability to teach Kung Fu, because children can imitate its push-ups and single-leg balance. Very neat, right? It almost makes you forget the terminator scene.
And for good reason-they are not as scary as you think. Designed with child-friendliness as the core, the robot's eyes can blink, blink and rotate. More importantly, its pupils can also become heart-shaped when talking. If this is not enough, it can even sneeze. By installing a camera on the helmet, it can also take photos, and then send the photos to the tablet for viewing. Alpha Mini is designed for mobile and comes pre-installed with a series of features, including a high-definition camera, up to 14 servo motors, three sensors, four microphones, smooth stereo and even a gyroscope. These robots are configured to work with Windows PC, iOS and Android tablet programs, and can recognize approximately 75 English voice commands. Futuristic assistants can interact naturally and intuitively, and are equipped with a facial recognition system that allows them to easily track children's movements, allowing them to quickly establish contact with the robot-thus breaking the entire technological impasse.
What's more interesting about these handy playboy robots is that children can also help them program. Children can help in class and use Alpha Mini to learn more about mechanics and computer science. The Guardian also mentioned the case of Mr. Bian Seo-yeon, who visited the happy and lively Maru Nursery in Seoul. "Robots help children to be creative," Xu Yan told AFP.
According to Generation Robots, a European robot distributor, Alpha Mini uses artificial intelligence to "communicate, move, and recognize faces and objects." Anyone can use these portable robots, although they are worth 1,200 Euros (slightly more than 1,000 pounds). They work like neat and beautiful robots and can "create personalized lessons for individual students or small groups of students." With the additional benefits of programmable, adults can use them to plan a variety of activities, including: writing, reading, history, and mathematics. Generation Robots also retails Alpha Mini Robot Curriculum (an educational package) for 60 Euros (£50), as well as robots that allow children to familiarize themselves with the basics of robotics, with brochures for students and teachers.
Han Dong-suk, a member of the child care department of the Seoul government, also commented happily in an interview with Agence France-Presse: “In the future, understanding how to manage artificial intelligence and related tools will be very important. We believe that this kind of experience in the nursery will benefit their entire youth and adulthood. Have a lasting impact."
So far, Alpha Mini seems to be welcomed by everyone, especially the students of Maru, who are very happy with their new robot buddy. It has been used as part of the daily schedule of classes for four to five year olds. They seem to particularly like its ability to "fart" based on commands, which is a highlight of the game time. A very excited student Lee Ga-yoon told AFP, "When I told it to sing, it sang very well. I told it to dance, and we dance together." What more can you ask for?
They can't make pesto eggs or grilled feta pasta right away, but the robot chef has time. According to TechCrunch, Chef Robotics is a startup company behind robots that can handle all commercial kitchen tasks. The company has just raised $7.7 million to help automate the kitchen, which will increase yield and consistency while reducing food waste-ultimately Save money for restaurants.
At the same time, online food delivery platform DoorDash recently acquired Chowbotics, whose "Sally" robots can prepare salads and bowls on demand, and American fast food chain White Castle has expanded its partnership with Miso Robotics, which manufactures "Flippy" robots. fries. In short, because companies want to reduce human contact, the demand for robot chefs has surged during the pandemic. In order to fully predict the future of the food technology industry, we studied the most promising robot chefs and what improvements they must provide for gourmets in 2021.
"At Chef, we believe in and are working hard to create a future where all of us have the opportunity to realize our maximum potential, to be creative, to be creative, to lead others, to create art, and to love others. In other words, we want to make human beings, Okay, human!" Read the Chef Robotics manifesto. The product team includes former employees of Cruise, Google, Verb Surgical, Zoox and Strateos.
Chef's team is not ready to showcase its products, which is not entirely unusual for a robotics company that is still in its early stages. So far, what it promises is a robotics and vision system designed to increase production and improve consistency, while eliminating some food waste from the process. Fast food restaurants seem to be the focus of this technology.
"Chef aims to imitate human flexibility, allowing customers to process thousands of different kinds of food with minimal hardware changes. Chef uses artificial intelligence to do this, and over time, artificial intelligence can learn how to handle more There are more ingredients, and the situation will improve. This allows customers to do things, such as changing their menu frequently. In addition, Chef’s modular architecture allows customers to quickly scale up by hiring more employees (but Unlike humans, Chef always shows up on time and does not need to rest),” the company’s website explains. There is no doubt that we will get more detailed information about the underlying technology soon.
Sally, the refrigerator-sized robot of Chowbotics, can assemble customized bowls as needed using fresh ingredients protected in airtight refrigerated containers. As mentioned above, the company’s website is now owned by San Francisco-based DoorDash, “This is an innovative technology that can provide convenient fresh food services anytime, anywhere.”
Before arriving in 2021, Chowbotics has sold approximately 125 of its $35,000 robots to universities, medical centers, and grocery stores. But the company said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales soared as customers sought contactless ways to distribute food.
So, why on earth would a food delivery market leader that provides delivery services to 390,000 merchants in the United States, Canada, and Australia buy a robotics company? According to ABC News, DoorDash said that Chowbotics' robots can allow its restaurant partners to provide a wider variety of meals without the need to expand the kitchen space. Other DoorDash merchants, such as convenience stores, can also use it to expand fresh food.
From the garage in Pasadena to the kitchen in White Castle, Miso Robotics' Flippy was originally designed as a burger flipping robot, and now it can also cook French fries perfectly. No wonder it has a place in the chain of burger restaurants in the US, right?
When announcing the partnership, White Castle vice president Jamie Richardson explained how robots free up time for employees to perform other tasks, such as sanitizing tables or handling increasing delivery orders. "A non-contact environment that reduces exposure is becoming more and more important to customers," he said.
According to the Associated Press, Flippy is currently priced at US$30,000 with a monthly service fee of US$1,500. "By the middle of next year [2021], Miso hopes to provide robots for free, but will charge a higher monthly fee," the article published in July 2020 reads.
Now, this one is very special. According to the British "Financial Times" report, in January 2021, London-based robotics company Moley announced that it will start selling its first robot chef. The company explained that its ceiling-mounted device, called Moley Robotics Kitchen, will be able to cook more than 5,000 recipes and can even clean up itself after completion. bonus? The technology is built for home service, rather than being used in restaurant kitchens as mentioned earlier.
The kitchen took six years to develop and consists of two robotic arms that slide along rails installed on the ceiling of the client's kitchen. The arms are equipped with two jointed hands, which can reproduce the movements and movements of a professional chef, which have been uploaded to his memory. As early as 2017, robot chefs could only cook one dish: Crab Meat Soup. Now, it will pre-program thousands of recipes. All you need to do is select what you want to eat on the touch screen and let it start working.
Of course, there are still some skills in the robotic kitchen that have not yet been mastered. Although it can break eggs, it cannot peel potatoes or cut carrots. Therefore, you need to handle some preparations yourself, and then put the pre-weighed ingredients in the counter or smart refrigerator to let it do its magic.
This machine can be fully customized to fit into your kitchen, starting at £248,000, but Moley hopes to introduce an easier-to-use model in the future.
Blendid's smoothie making robot kiosk can make 45 cups of smoothies in one hour, and customers can order them without touch on their mobile phones at Wal-Mart and American University campuses. This year, the company behind this super fast smoothie maker is seeking to expand its franchise in more supermarkets across the country. Forget the overpriced green juice bar you bought at a nearby coffee shop-Blendid's drinks can sell for between US$5 and US$6.
F&P Robotics'''Barney' is a robot bartender who can also tell jokes. The robot can mix up to 16 different spirits and 8 different sodas, and provide beer and prosecco for customers who place orders via smartphones. Once the drink is ready, by the way, Barney, who can sterilize his robotic arm, uses a large video display above the bar to tell customers that their drink is ready. A barista version for making different coffees has also been developed.
One thing is for sure, the future of the food technology industry looks bright, whether you look forward to hearing the jokes of Barney’s dad... It looks like you don’t have many choices. fasten your seatbelt!