Restaurants Fire Chefs as Robots Take Over Kitchen

www.businessweek.com...=lr-fs
It´s a short video (1:30)

Imagine some of those go haywire. I mean, look at them. You hardly could have made them more evil looking when you think about their purpose. Watch how they slice the noodles. Almost hypnotic.

Here are some details I got from the video because there was no description available:

3000 robots are sold already.
It would cost 4700$/year to hire a real person for the job.
The robot costs 2000$.

I forget to post a link to a video about a "gerät" that is very popular in Germany:

Der Gerät
www.youtube.com...

I could not take my eyes of it when I saw one of those first

reply to post by StareDad

A new robot designed to quickly slice noodles is proving popular in China as the cost of labor rises.

If it's cheaper than Chinese labor, we're really in trouble seeing how inexpensive Chinese labor is.

On the other hand, it's good to hear Chinese labor costs are going up. If that trend continues, some jobs may come back to the countries that lost them to China.

As for the robots, something must be wrong with my browser as I can't see the video...is it on youtube by any chance? I can usually see youtube videos, as long as they aren't "private" or something.

This shouldn't be particularly alarming unless you happen to be a professional noodle cutter or you're skill is easily repeatable by a robot at anything.

Repetitive tasks will eventually be completely replaced by robots as costs for robots go down in general.

Once they create robots that can make complex decisions with no human input I will begin to worry about Skynet.

Originally posted by Arbitrageur
reply to post by StareDad

 

A new robot designed to quickly slice noodles is proving popular in China as the cost of labor rises.

If it's cheaper than Chinese labor, we're really in trouble seeing how inexpensive Chinese labor is.

On the other hand, it's good to hear Chinese labor costs are going up. If that trend continues, some jobs may come back to the countries that lost them to China.

The problem here is that it will displace Chinese labor, which means they'll be without a job, but those manufacturing tasks will come back here, but also be done by robots, so we'll still be out of a job, too. Bottom line is that robots will be taking over, no matter where you are.

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by Arbitrageur
reply to post by StareDad

 

A new robot designed to quickly slice noodles is proving popular in China as the cost of labor rises.

If it's cheaper than Chinese labor, we're really in trouble seeing how inexpensive Chinese labor is.

On the other hand, it's good to hear Chinese labor costs are going up. If that trend continues, some jobs may come back to the countries that lost them to China.

The problem here is that it will displace Chinese labor, which means they'll be without a job, but those manufacturing tasks will come back here, but also be done by robots, so we'll still be out of a job, too. Bottom line is that robots will be taking over, no matter where you are.

You would be surprised what Robots can't do. Something like cutting noodles in a repeatable way is a no brainer. Noodles haven't changed in a long time nor will they change in the future.

It is short sighted to be worried about robots "stealing" repeatable jobs. Freeing up humans to do what we excel at is a good thing. We do not excel at repeatable boring tasks. We excel at innovation, creativity, making the new.

Robots play a limited role in the creation of new things. A human has to do it first. A skilled intelligent human has to do it first, devise a way for it to be done by a robot, and then maintain and quality check the robots continually.

The more robots we have completing repetitive mindless tasks the more free we are to create, innovate, and grow. Maybe the repetitive task people will begin to work as domestic labor to free even more time for the creative innovators to really bring humanity to the next level.

To expand on what I said before, if we allow or create robots to create and innovate that is when we should begin to worry...

Originally posted by StareDad
www.businessweek.com...=lr-fs
It´s a short video (1:30)

Imagine some of those go haywire. I mean, look at them. You hardly could have made them more evil looking when you think about their purpose. Watch how they slice the noodles. Almost hypnotic.

Here are some details I got from the video because there was no description available:

3000 robots are sold already.
It would cost 4700$/year to hire a real person for the job.
The robot costs 2000$.

if a restaurant is replacing a chef with a robot, they never had a chef, they had a cook.

can robots do art? when they can, they can be chefs. until then, it will be a horrible facsimile.

For what it is worth, I run restaurants.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

Good point. Some restaurants don't really have chefs, perhaps that's true of McDonalds? I could see a McDonalds labor force being more automated at some point which may not be that far off.

But I don't see robots replacing real chefs anytime soon.

Perhaps the title would be more accurate if it replaced "chef" with "restaurant worker"?

Originally posted by schuyler


The problem here is that it will displace Chinese labor, which means they'll be without a job, but those manufacturing tasks will come back here, but also be done by robots, so we'll still be out of a job, too. Bottom line is that robots will be taking over, no matter where you are.

No it wont. It's a noodle cutter. It's just a tool like any other kitchen tool. Did the food processor displace labor and cause millions of restaurants world wide to fire their cooks? No. What about the refrigerator, the oven, the microwave?

Humans will always be needed in kitchens because there are things you cannot teach a robot to do. Taste test the food. Adjust the food to suit a customers preference. Create new dishes. Display the dishes creatively.

I wouldn't start worrying until you can replace every aspect of cooking with a machine and do it as well or better than a human. I don't see that happening anytime soon or even in the next 100 years.

reply to post by StareDad


I read the title and thought there would be a real iron chef cooking full meals.

Robot chef for every kitchen like the Jetsons. I think her name was Rosy.

Maybe in another 50 years damn.

So I guess as these robots advance more and more people worldwide will be join the unemployment epidemic.Anyone hear of a plan to assist these fired workers?Didn't think so and doubt you will...

I wish they'd replace the repetative parts of my job with a robot...

Originally posted by Arbitrageur
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

Good point. Some restaurants don't really have chefs, perhaps that's true of McDonalds? I could see a McDonalds labor force being more automated at some point which may not be that far off.

But I don't see robots replacing real chefs anytime soon.

Perhaps the title would be more accurate if it replaced "chef" with "restaurant worker"?

THis may be true. And, while I would hate to see McDs use robots, it would be an improvement. In my town, McD's is notorious for being the worst in the world. I have actually pulled up and instead of giving my order, just told them to pick $20 worth of food, since they were going to give me what they wanted anyway. No one ever pulls out of the drive until they have opened the bag and verified the order.

If those slackers are replaced by robots, it serves them right.

Originally posted by StareDad
3000 robots are sold already.
It would cost 4700$/year to hire a real person for the job.
The robot costs 2000$.

$4700 a year???? holy crap...I could hire my own cook?

Originally posted by Thunderheart

Originally posted by StareDad
3000 robots are sold already.
It would cost 4700$/year to hire a real person for the job.
The robot costs 2000$.

$4700 a year???? holy crap...I could hire my own cook?

Consider: 4700/365 is $12.88. How much do you spend at a restaurant? If you spend a total of 16.75 each day on a meal eating out, it would account for that 4700 a year plus a 30% food cost markup.

Seems like anyone who eats out every day may already be paying for their own chef every year.

I bet they'll do a much better job at some of the fast food chains (Mcdonalds, BurgerKing etc etc). Most of the times they forget to put things in my bag...

How sad, my childhood hero, Ultraman, reduced to slicing noodles in a restaurant. I don't want to know what the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic woman are stuck doing for a living. Oh yeah, the Bionic Woman is selling adjustable mattress. Sigh.

I think that robot could be redesigned to be even less expensive and an even better value. The cutesy lights and the whole body look gimmicky. The shell does probably make sanitation easier, but the aesthetics could be pared down for cost reduction. I don't know much about Chinese culture, but I do know this robot look would go over well in Japan, so maybe they are aiming for that other noodle loving market as well.

reply to post by StareDad

link doesn't work

reply to post by VforVendettea


Thanks that you brought that up
FIXED LINK