Researchers Create Robotic Chefs That Can Correct The Taste Of Food

Cambridge University researchers have created a robot chef. (photo: Doc. Cambridge University)

JAKARTA - Cambridge University researchers have created a robotic chef that is able to taste food to determine whether it is properly seasoned or not.

This robot is claimed to be able to help prepare food automatically, and has been trained to make omelets and immediately tasted a plate of omelettes and tomatoes.

According to the study, the robot had tasted nine different variations of scrambled eggs and tomatoes at three stages of the chewing process. The researchers also put the egg mixture in a blender and had the robot test the dish, to mimic the changes in texture caused by chewing.

To mimic the taste buds of robot chefs, the researchers attached a probe, which acts like a salty taste sensor, to the robot's arm. That way, the robot can taste dishes in a lattice-like fashion, returning results in just a few seconds.

Then research published in the journal Frontiers in Robotics & AI produced a taste map of the different dishes. The researchers discovered a "taste as you go" approach that improves the robot's ability to quickly and accurately judge a dish's saltiness.

The paper's co-author, Dr Arsen Abdulali said that this training could make robots a better cook.

"We wanted to emulate a more realistic chewing and tasting process in a robotic system, which would result in a tastier final product. When a robot learns to cook, like any cook, it needs an indication of how well it is doing," said Dr Abdulali.

"In our experiment, the robot was able to see the difference in food being chewed, which increased its ability to taste."

Grzegorz Sochacki, from the university's Department of Engineering, who co-authored the paper, said, "If robots are to be used for certain aspects of food preparation, it is important for them to be able to feel what they are cooking," he said.