400 Burger Per Hour Robot Will Soon Put Fast Food Employees Out of Work

Not that we should be eating fast food in the first place, but with the advent of this technology comes a more advanced robotic revolution. A team consisting of roboticists from institutions including Berkeley and Stanford and firms like Tesla and NASA have come together to build their first autonomous robot able to slice, grill, assemble and bag 400 custom burgers in an hour. Momentum Machines, out of San Francisco, California's first unveiled the grill master in 2012.

Image by David Kover

Momentum Machines claims that the machine is able to do everything employees are able to do except better. Acquiring only 24 square feet, the machine is able to slice toppings immediately before the burger is served, as well as, wrap and bag the item so it is ready to go.

In an effort to open a location as the first robotic-led restaurant, Momentum Machines has recently received $18 million in funding to further it's "advancements", according to a file from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

With the minimum wage increasing in the United States, the concept of hiring a fleet of robots may seem attractive to restaurant managers. Former McDonald's CEO Ed Rensi said last year "It's cheaper to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making $15 an hour bagging french fries." He further added that the demand to raise wages is 'going to cause a job loss across this country like you're not going to believe.'

When employing  humans, keeping a fast food restaurant fully-staffed can be puzzling. It can also become expensive since those pesky humans are at risk of being injured at any moment. Robots, on the other hand, will work as long as they’re properly maintained and allowed to function the way they were designed to function. Even a complex robot like this costs roughly $30,000, but it will pay for itself rather quickly.

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References

Dunne, D. (2017). Robots that churn out 400 burgers an hour set to take over restaurants. Daily Mail. Retrieved 22 June 2017, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4602682/Robots-churn-400-burgers-hour-set-over.html

Momentum Machines The Next Industrial Revolution. (2017). Retrieved 22 June 2017, from http://momentummachines.com/

SEC FORM D: Notice of Exempt Offering Securities. (2017). United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 22 June 2017, from https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1573131/000157313117000004/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml