MIT engineers 'Spyce' it up with robotic kitchen

Four MIT engineering graduates have developed the world’s first robotic kitchen in the form of the Spyce restaurant.

The ‘Spyce’ of life

Dissatisfied with the high price of quality, fast food, the graduates’ restaurant uses seven automated cooking woks in place of human chefs. With the ability to work simultaneously, the robots can prepare the food in three minutes or less.

This fast food robotic kitchen can serve up to 200 meals an hour. The meals cost around £5.60 each.

The technology was developed by Michael Farid, Kale Rogers, Luke Schlueter and Brady Knight in their fraternity basement in 2015. The MIT graduates said “Spyce is at the intersection of hospitality and technology”.

How does it work?

Using the restaurant’s touch-screen devices, customers place their orders before an ingredient delivery system, or “runner”, collects the ingredients. Portions are then delivered into one of the robotic woks where they are mixed in cylindrical, rotating drums. The ingredients are then cooked at just over 230°c  using induction technology.

Customers can watch their food being prepared in front of them, thanks to the woks being set at a suitable angle.

Once the food has been cooked, the pot tilts to tip the food into a bowl. After the meal has been made and dished up, extra elements, such as sauces and toppings can be added by the customer.

Using 80% less water than the average dishwasher, the machines autonomously clean themselves.

The culinary skills of Sam Benson and Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud were used to develop the menu which combines ‘old-world techniques of French cuisine’ with modern technology.

Are you ready to ‘Spyce’ up your life?

The robotic kitchen opened on 3 May 2018. To try out the futuristic restaurant does mean a bit of a trip as it’s at 241 Washington Street, in Boston, America.

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