Robots in restaurant chains are growing, and Chipotle Mexican Grill is among these restaurants that invest in robotic machines.
Called "Autocado," Chipotle unveiled Wednesday a new avocado processing collaborative robot (cobotic) that helps cut, core, and peel avocados before they are hand mashed to create its signature guacamole.
The prototype is currently being tested at the Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine, California. The company has partnered with Vebu to bring this bot to life.
This is not the first robot from Chipotle, as the famous restaurant also has "Chippy," which focuses on making tortilla chips. Chipotle is also currently testing this autonomous kitchen assistant that integrates culinary traditions with artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips in a Fountain Valley, California restaurant.
Chipotle Debuts 'Autocado' - Its New Avocado Peel and Core Robot
According to the company's press release, Chipotle's new avocado processing cobotic, Autocado, is at its Cultivate Center in Irvine to peel and core the avocados.
Avocado is essential for Chipotle because people love guacamole, which is a great add-on to one's meal. The company has individuals dedicated to cutting, coring, and scooping avocados.
However, it is time-consuming and less favorable among crew members. On average, it takes about 50 minutes to make a batch of guacamole.
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Chipotle and Vebu's Robot is One of Many
Vebu is a product development firm that works with food industry leaders to co-create intelligent automation and technology solutions.
Chipotle is investing in Vebu as part of the company's $50 million venture called "Cultivate Next," which aims to make early-stage investments into strategically aligned firms that further its mission to cultivate a better world and help accelerate its aggressive growth plans.
Chipotle said Autocado also targets to increase avocado fruit yield through precision processing, which could lead to millions of dollars in annual food cost savings if it is successfully developed and deployed widely.
"We are committed to exploring collaborative robotics to drive efficiencies and ease pain points for our employees. The intensive labor of cutting, coring, and scooping avocados could be relieved with Autocado, but we still maintain the essential culinary experience of hand mashing and hand preparing the guacamole to our exacting standards," Chipotle's Chief Customer and Technology Officer Curt Garner said in a statement.
Chipotle is expected to use some 4.5 million cases of avocados or about more than 100 million pounds of fruit in restaurants across the U.S., Canada, and Europe this year.
Robots in Restaurants
The Jetsons introduced the world to a future with scientific and technological advancements in the early 1960s, and this, along with the presence of machines in fast food restaurants, is what humans see in the present now.
With the many technological advancements, different companies have already brought robots to restaurants and other workplaces.
Not only do they prove to change the way in one's workplace, but robots can be trained in various disciplines using the many programming languages today, including AI.
There was one initiative to teach robots to do household chores: By training them using YouTube videos to complete the tasks for different homes.
With the many advancements in this day and age, robots are becoming more apparent and vital in different operations worldwide, especially in the restaurant business.
Chipotle is welcoming these automated helpers to its ranks, with its AI-powered kitchen powering some of its locations.
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