Flippy comes fitted with a spatula tool and camera and sensors for it to see
Just last Monday, 'Flippy' the robot began its first job at a burger joint in Pasadena, California. The task was simple - flipping burgers - which it seemed to be doing well. But after only a day, the restaurant pulled the plug on Flippy.
But Flippy's temporary exit doesn't seem to be the bot's fault, said the burger chain. According to
USA Today, the burger joint 'CaliBurger', that employed Flippy, was inundated with excited patrons lining up to catch a glimpse of the robot in action. When the kitchen was unable to handle so many requests because of not having enough human staff, it was forced to suspend Flippy.
"While Flippy held up its end of the deal, the restaurant is short of humans to prepare the patties for the grill and then pile on the lettuce and other fixins'", Anthony Lomelino, chief technology officer for Cali Group told USA Today.
Customers who wanted to see Flippy doing its thing were left disappointed when they reached the counter. A sign saying "Flippy will be cooking" greeted customers. The time and date - "TBA (To be announced)".
According to Miso Robotics, the company that developed Flippy, the bot will be back on Monday, during prime lunch hours, after some upgrades, reports
USA Today.
In a statement to
BBC, the company said it was testing a code that controls the robot to ensure it can cook quickly enough to fulfil orders at peak hours.
Miso Robotics intends to take Flippy to 50 other outlets across US, reports
Daily Mail. The company earlier claimed the bot can prepare as many 2,000 burgers a day. The robot is fitted with a spatula tool that it slides under the patty and flips it over once the meat is done. Flippy also alerts its human colleagues when it's time to add the cheese and other ingredients. Flippy comes fitted with sensors and camera that allows it to see.
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