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NEW DELHI :
Covid-19 protocols prompted Beijing Winter Olympics bosses to introduce automated machines to prepare dinner and ship meals to friends with none human intervention. Now, workers following hybrid work protocols in India are set to come across comparable automated machines at their workplace cafeterias.
The machines employed in Beijing may prepare dinner something from noodles to hamburgers so long as the components have been offered prematurely.
In a lot the identical manner, corporations in India are creating automated cafeterias, the place machines will make snacks and easy meals based mostly on pre-fed components.
As an alternative of queuing up earlier than the cafeteria supervisor, workers will encounter meals kiosks that use web of issues (IoT) sensors to watch the meals being ready and synthetic intelligence to make sure high quality.
All it’s good to do is press just a few buttons: the pre-fed components are transferred to a cooking chamber, combined and cooked robotically.
Chennai-based cafeteria administration firm CafeXT hopes to deploy 30-40 such kiosks this 12 months, equipped by Bengaluru-based robotics agency Xook.
CafeXT’s purchasers embody IT corporations Virtusa Corp., Tata Consultancy Companies Ltd and Capgemini SE. The cafeteria administration firm mentioned it will deploy these kiosks at workplaces in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.
“Submit-pandemic, our purchasers are extra acutely aware about hygiene and constant availability of companies than ever earlier than. Company workers additionally care about their well being and love worldwide dishes,” mentioned Navas Khan, director of Dosa Village Pvt. Ltd, the mother or father firm of CafeXT.
Many corporations have shut down and discontinued cafeteria contracts up to now two years, as workplaces closed or operated with skeletal employees. Now, hygiene is “one of many prime causes” for deploying these automated meals machines, mentioned Ashutosh Sharma, vice-president and analysis director at Forrester Analysis. He likened these machines to gyms and pool tables, which add “the cool quotient” to a office.
To make sure, automated meals machines aren’t notably new in India. Tea chain Chaayos deployed robots referred to as “Chai Monks” in its shops after the primary lockdowns in 2020. On the time, they offered contactless eating options, the place customers may place an order on the app, and the robotic would put together the tea with out human contact.
In Xook’s robots, too, clients scan a QR code and order from an app. Nevertheless, these machines are designed for workplaces, cafeterias and house complexes, taking over solely 10 sq. ft of house, in accordance with the corporate. CafeXT mentioned it’s operating pilots in varied locations.
The IoT cameras monitor the ingredient compartments and inform human operators once they’re operating low. The corporate’s chief government, Rajagopal Natarajan, mentioned the agency educated deep studying algorithms utilizing photos of meals gadgets at totally different phases of preparation. This enables the cameras to assist discern high quality as nicely.
In response to Ratul Roy, co-founder and chief know-how officer of Xook, the automated meals kiosks can put together over 25 dishes, together with salads and snack bowls, in 5 cuisines. The corporate additionally has a staff of cooks who’re increasing the recipes the robots can handle. For the time being, solely meals gadgets like salads and snack bowls can be found.
Natarajan mentioned Xook wouldn’t cost its clients up-front funds for the kiosks. As an alternative, corporations shall be charged based mostly on the meals consumed by staff from the machine in an ‘as-a-service’ mannequin.
A meals bowl by Xook will begin at ₹70 and go as much as ₹200, and the corporate is in talks with corporations in Bengaluru and Singapore for direct installations as nicely.
Xook isn’t the one such firm. Euphotic Labs, a Bengaluru-based agency, is planning to deploy a robotic meals machine referred to as Nosh to corporations. Its co-founder, Yatin Varachhia, mentioned it has been working with corporations to deploy these in workplaces utilizing pay-per-use fashions.
Business stakeholders, nevertheless, mentioned meals automation remains to be in its infancy. Sharma famous that the pace with which it may put together a meal remains to be sluggish, and meals decisions are restricted however will enhance over time.
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