Made to Order: AI Data Processing Via Edge Computing Brings Robotics to the Fast-food Kitchen
Exclusive from Premio
Back-of-house operations advance with machine learning, computer vision, and real-time data analytics
The pandemic was especially difficult on the restaurant industry’s bottom line, and the sector is still in the early stages of recovery. As the world begins to turn the page on Covid, a new normal has emerged, with many kitchen staff having moved on to jobs outside food service.
New, modern technology, driven by automated systems, is ready to pick up the slack with incredible speed and productivity. Automated robotic arms powered by smart AI algorithms are revolutionizing modern restaurant operations in ways that would not have been possible just a few years ago.
Specialized software algorithms that enable the automation of repetitive kitchen tasks are proving more valuable for efficiency and productivity.
The hardware required to power this technology consists of a CPU, an array of USB ports, and a powerful GPU for real-time edge processing in a rugged and harsh environment. With these solutions being manufactured for immediate usage, the production and implementation of these systems is expected to surge.
Cooking with computing
Rugged edge computing must be incorporated at the development phase to enable these automated solutions to perform their core capabilities in hazardous environments as scripted by the software. Sensors gathering real-time data are essential to robotic performance.
By striving for uniformity in the hardware’s design, developers increase production and reduce the need for customization. The hardware system’s electrical panels are integral to the automation process and should be designed with manufacturing, easy accessibility, and service in mind. This ensures all system components can efficiently process the sensor data as it is relayed from kitchen operations.
In turn, manufacturers can mass produce and deploy these robotic systems quickly and effectively, ensuring reliability, with options to scale services and increase production speed. Resources, such as trained personnel and facilities outfitted for the assembly of rugged edge hardware, allow the production of hundreds of units at once.
To mass produce large quantities of uniform systems, understanding the difference between a general-purpose embedded computer and a system specifically built to analyze AI algorithms and real-time data is a must. Regardless of task difficulty, rugged edge computing is crucial to the performance, accuracy, footprint, and endurance requirements that arise with robotics advances.
Rev up those fryers with robotics
By automating commercial food prep, restaurants reduce the reliance on manual labor, which simultaneously improves working conditions. Dull, repetitive kitchen tasks can be allocated to robots; this can enhance food quality, output, and safety, and cut costs associated with human error.
Robotics enables establishments to streamline their workforce, allowing them to concentrate on management rather than monotonous day-to-day tasks.
Autonomous systems empower restaurateurs to make smarter business decisions by producing detailed operational data, which converts to a reduction of cost and a better customer experience in an industry on the verge of significant change.
Authored by Dustin Seetoo, Director of Product Marketing, Premio, Inc., email: dustin.seetoo@premioinc.com