Flippy 2, An Agile Robot Chef In A Fast-Food Restaurant Kitchen, Will Soon Replace Human Duties

Flippy 2 potato frying robot from Miso Robotics Inc. (photo: doc. Miso Robotics Inc)

JAKARTA - Fast food fries and onion rings can now be high-tech, thanks to a company in Southern California.

Miso Robotics Inc. in Pasadena has started rolling out its Flippy 2 robot, which automates the process of frying potatoes, onions and other foods.

Huge robotic arms like those in a car factory that are directed by cameras and artificial intelligence, are capable of - removing frozen French fries and other food from the freezer, then dipping them in hot oil, then placing ready-to-eat products into trays.

According to Miso, Flippy 2 can cook multiple meals with different recipes at the same time, which can reduce the need for catering staff and speed up delivery of orders through the drive-through window.

"When an order goes through the restaurant's system, it automatically sends instructions to Flippy," Miso Chief Executive Mike Bell said in an interview. "They do it faster or more accurately, more reliably and happier than most humans do."

Miso says it took five years to develop Flippy and recently made it commercially available.

The robot's name comes from Flippy, an earlier robot designed to flip burgers. But once Miso's team finished the machine, they realized that there was a tighter traffic jam at the frying station, especially late at night.

Bell says Flippy 2 is finally a highlight for visitors.

“When we put robots in a location, customers come in and order, they all take pictures, they take videos, they ask a lot of questions. Then the second time they came in they didn't seem to notice, took it for granted," he said.

Miso engineers were able to see Flippy 2's robots at work in real time on a large screen, allowing them to help solve problems as they arise. A number of restaurant chains have adopted robotic fry cooks, including Jack in the Box in San Diego, White Castle in the Midwest and CaliBurger on the West Coast.

Bell said three other major US fast food chains had already made Flippy 2 work, but said they were hesitant to advertise because of sensitivities about the perception that robots take jobs from humans.

“The tasks that humans enjoy doing the most are tasks like frying stations. They love getting help so they can do other things," Bell said.

Miso Robotics has about 90 engineers, who tinker with prototypes or work on computer code. One of his next projects is Sippy, a drink-making robot that will take orders from customers, pour drinks, close them, insert straws, and group them.

Bell said that one day, people will "walk into a restaurant and look at a robot and say, 'Hey, remember the old days when humans used to do that kind of thing?'