What the food? This robot vending machine is ready to make you a burger

When hunger strikes unexpectedly, how about grabbing a quick burger on the way home from the office or a night on the town? You'll need to wait just six minutes to have your snack prepared by RoboBurger, the first burger-making robot vending machine. WTF? -- What the food, that is...

It cooks the patties. It toasts the buns. And it adds the garnish. The very first burger-preparing robot was invented in 2019 in the New York City suburb of Newark. A patent has been filed to protect the technology involved in this new kind of compact kitchen, capable of cooking and building a burger in an ultra-small space. Meet RoboBurger. All steps in the process are essentially the same as those of a fast-food restaurant, except that here, it's a robot that takes care of everything. 

The company that developed this technology is now taking the next step by packing its invention into a vending machine. The machine has just been installed in Jersey City, USA. For only $6.99, customers can get a burger made by the robot with the ingredients they choose. There is everything needed inside the machine to prepare the order: a refrigerator to keep the burgers cool and a grill to cook them, but also an automatic cleaning system to keep the robot kitchen clean.

The burger vending machine could be destined to make its way to airports in the United States, as well as shopping malls and universities.

And the burger isn't the first ever dish to be "cooked" by a robot. In Israel, a Pizza Hut franchise has already developed a robot that makes pizzas. And, in February, Super Bowl spectators were able to test an automated food truck serving up ramen.  

© Agence France-Presse