Video of the week: Burger flipping gets automated

Media studies grads beware; your burger-flipping days could be numbered due to a new robot called Flippy.

Billed as a ‘kitchen assistant’ by developer Miso Robotics, Flippy uses computer vision (a combination of cameras and sensors) to detect when food is cooked, and a mechanical device to scoop it up and flip it. According to the video, it can distinguish between cooked and uncooked burgers, chicken, buns and even an intervening human hand.

While the clip above features a confused looking worker assembling the cooked burgers, Miso’s website claims Flippy can also be taught to assist with frying, prepping and plating. Jobs in the fast food sector are recognised as some of the most threatened by automation, and Flippy may just be a glimpse of what's to come.