Imperial team takes first steps towards robot restaurant

News

Students from Imperial College London have taken part in a hackathon to develop the technology required for a robot restaurant.

Organised by technology incubator Founders Factory, the event saw teams given 48 hours and some basic equipment to come up with design concepts and prototypes. Three separate challenges were laid down: reducing waste, increasing efficiency of food preparation, and creating a novel dining experience.

Winning concept ‘RoboTable’ featured a curated menu of micro-portions that adapts and evolves based on data and taste preferences. Diners would use a smartphone app to swipe left or right on suggested dishes, with the data fed back to an automated robotic kitchen. Founders Factory wants to use the ideas formulated in the hackathon as a springboard to make its ‘Robot Restaurant’ concept a reality.

READ MORE ENGINEERING NEWS HERE

“We are just at the beginning of our journey with our own robot restaurant but many of the ideas we saw compliment our thinking of what is possible,” said Brent Hoberman, Founders Factory chairman and hackathon judge. “RoboTable were worthy winners as they combined creativity, hardware and customer data to create the ‘Tinder for foodies’.”

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address