Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

food

Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

by

Ottonomy has closed its seed funding round of $3.3 million, bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million.

The funding is planned to support the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries with its robots.

The funding round is led by Pi Ventures who back deep tech startups. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also joined this round; making the group a dynamic mix from retail, food and robotics industry investors for Ottonomy’s seed round. [Read more…] about Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

Fanuc launches its first stainless steel delta robot

by

Fanuc, the world’s largest industrial robot maker, has unveiled the new DR-3iB/6 Stainless delta robot for primary food handling.

The new DR-3iB/6 Stainless is Fanuc’s first stainless steel food-grade delta robot for picking and packing primary food products.

Rated IP69K, the robot meets USDA and FDA food safety standards, and sets a new benchmark for robotic food handling in terms of payload, speed, reach and sanitation. [Read more…] about Fanuc launches its first stainless steel delta robot

Flytrex receives FAA approval to double drone delivery radius to two nautical miles

by

Flytrex, a specialist in on-demand drone delivery for food and retail, has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its delivery radius from one to two nautical miles across all its operating stations in North Carolina and Texas.

Deliveries will be made in cooperation with longtime partner Causey Aviation Unmanned, offering food, drinks and other goods to approximately 100,000 eligible customers that can opt into the service – a substantial increase from the 40,000 customers that were previously eligible.

Flytrex and Causey will conduct all flights while maintaining the highest safety standards. [Read more…] about Flytrex receives FAA approval to double drone delivery radius to two nautical miles

Blendid and Jamba find new customer for their robot-made smoothies

by

Blendid, a maker of a robotic machine that makes food, and Jamba, a provider of fruit and vegetable smoothies, are planning to expand their “Jamba by Blendid” autonomous robotic kiosk locations to Love’s Travel Stops, building on the system’s initial deployments in retail locations and college campuses.

The first Jamba by Blendid kiosk piloted at a Love’s Travel Stop will open this summer in Williams, California, just outside of Sacramento, marking a strategic expansion into rest area locations to meet the increasing demand for nutritious quick-serve options for commuters, travelers and professional truck drivers across the United States.

With more than 590 locations in 41 states, Love’s Travel Stops provides professional drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas, travel items, electronics, snacks, restaurant offerings, and more from coast to coast. [Read more…] about Blendid and Jamba find new customer for their robot-made smoothies

Comau introduces new robot for ‘sensitive’ environments

by

Comau has introduced its new Racer-5 Sensitive Environments (Racer-5 SE), a high-speed industrial robot designed for the special and sensitive settings that characterize the pharmaceutical, health and beauty, food and beverage and electronics industries.

Featuring a protective water, heat and grease-resistant coating, the ruggedized 6-axis articulated robot fully responds to the demand for IP67 certification, high-grade ISO 5 Cleanroom classification (ISO 14644-1), protection from chemical agents and the need to reduce the risk of contamination. It also has NSF H1 food grade lubrication.

Further benefits of the dedicated robot include reduced operator risk when working with potentially harmful chemicals and substances, as well as increased productivity, traceability, and quality. [Read more…] about Comau introduces new robot for ‘sensitive’ environments

Miso Robotics expands through partnership with Americana Restaurants

by

Miso Robotics, specializing in the restaurant industry, is partnering with Americana Restaurants, a food and beverage operator and a master franchisee which works with brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee’s, Krispy Kreme, and TGI Friday’s.

The collaboration will begin with a piloted test of Flippy at Americana Restaurants’ flagship Wimpy location in The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping destinations.

Flippy 2, a robotics solution that can independently do the work of an entire fry station, has shown it can optimize operations in quick-service restaurants and is set for further integration and expansion across other Americana Restaurants locations in the months ahead. [Read more…] about Miso Robotics expands through partnership with Americana Restaurants

Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen

by

Remy Robotics, a food technology startup leading the disruption of delivery-only restaurants through the use of adaptive robotics and culinary engineering, today exited stealth mode with the opening of a third autonomous robotic kitchen.

With over 60,000 robot-cooked dishes sold and top customer ratings across all major delivery apps, Remy Robotics is now ready to expand its delivery-only restaurant business with more brands and more locations.

The company’s successful track record means it is now ready to offer its autonomous robotic kitchen platform to other food operators looking to scale their business, improve profitability and solve the labour shortage challenge. [Read more…] about Remy Robotics exits stealth mode with launch of third autonomous robotic kitchen

Food tech platform C3 partners with robot delivery service Coco

by

C3, or Creating Culinary Communities, the fastest growing global food tech platform founded by Sam Nazarian, has agreed a partnership with Coco, a revolutionary robot delivery service that brings food to consumers faster and more sustainably.

Coco’s now deliver C3 virtual restaurant brands to addresses within two miles of the company’s digital kitchens on Broadway and Main Street in Santa Monica, The Grove in West Hollywood, and in Los Feliz.

Based on the partnership’s preliminary success, expansion is planned for additional Los Angeles neighborhoods and several major US cities. [Read more…] about Food tech platform C3 partners with robot delivery service Coco

Robotic kitchen Nommi raises $20 million and partners with food tech platform C3

by

Nommi, a new startup automating customizable bowl-based meals, has launched to raise up to $20 million in seed capital and is now open for reservations.

As part of this investment, visionary Sam Nazarian has led funding as part of a 50/50 deal to establish robotic Nommi kitchens in partnership with Nazarian’s global food tech platform C3 (Creating Culinary Communities).

Nommi, which is backed by Wavemaker Labs, a robotic incubator, is building a standalone robotic kitchen that is able to produce and dispense any grain-, noodle- or lettuce-based dish through a fully integrated cooking system. [Read more…] about Robotic kitchen Nommi raises $20 million and partners with food tech platform C3

Starship’s robot food delivery service launches Tennessee university

by

Starship Technologies has partnered with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to roll out a robot food delivery service in a local area called Rocky Top.

A fleet of 40 autonomous on-demand robots will deliver from 16 campus eateries including Einstein Bros. Bagels, Steak ’n Shake, Starbucks, and Subway, among others.

Students, faculty, and staff can use the Starship app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from select dining partners to be delivered anywhere on campus. [Read more…] about Starship’s robot food delivery service launches Tennessee university