White Castle Tests Burger-Flipping Robot

Flippy isn’t a two-legged robot wearing an apron and wielding a spatula, though. (Sorry to disappoint.) Instead, it’s a massive piece of kitchen equipment resembling a traditional fast food assembly line, stainless steel deep fryers and all. The difference is that Flippy can automatically dispense food from its own refrigerated or frozen storage bins into each of its fryer baskets, after which the robot’s arm individually moves the baskets into the oil to fry. According to California-based Miso Robotics, which specializes in AI-supported robotic foodservice solutions, Flippy uses AI-vision to identify which foods it’s cooking and “fry them to perfection every time.” Miso Robotics claims the system doubles the speed of standard food prep tasks and increases fried food throughput by up to 30 percent. (White Castle has a similar effect on the human digestive system – Ed)

Miso Robotics’ partnership with White Castle allows Flippy’s automation to go a step further. White Castle plans on integrating Flippy with its point-of-sale system, allowing the robot to begin cooking up an order as soon as it’s been submitted. Considering many White Castle locations possess touchscreen stations that customers can order from directly, Flippy’s installation will help automate almost all of the fast food experience from start to finish.

Though new to what’s controversially considered the world’s first burger chain, this won’t be Flippy’s first fast food rodeo. Flippy systems can currently be found at Dodger Stadium in LA, the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in Phoenix, and two CaliBurger restaurants, where they’ve fried 20 tons of food since 2018. Much of Flippy’s desirability so far has been in its ability to boost consistency; sensors and intelligent monitoring help keep food temperatures and assembly uniform, which has long been considered vital to the success of any fast food establishment. While this is a major factor in White Castle’s decision to try out Flippy, the company is particularly interested in reducing human contact with food as contagious disease concerns remain relevant.

If Flippy’s test run in Chicago goes well, White Castle will integrate a hundred more systems in locations across the country.

Continue reading

Starlink Beta Speed Tests Put Traditional Satellite Internet to Shame

According to data from Ookla Speedtest and analyzed by our colleagues at PCMag, Starlink is living up to its lofty speed claims.

MIT Creates Battery-Free Underwater GPS

GPS radio signals dissipate quickly when they hit water, causing a headache for scientific research at sea. The only alternative is to use acoustic systems that chew through batteries. A team from MIT has devised a battery-free tracking technology that could end this annoyance.

Musk: Tesla Was a Month From Bankruptcy During Model 3 Ramp-Up

The Model 3 almost spelled doom for Tesla, but the same vehicle also probably saved it.

What Does It Mean for the PC Market If Apple Makes the Fastest CPU?

Apple's M1 SoC could have a profound impact on the PC market. After 25 years, x86 may no longer be the highest-performing CPU architecture you can practically buy.