Meet Flippy, the robotic fry-chef

If I were to walk into a White Castle and order 30 sliders, 5 french fries and 4 large cherry Cokes someone on the line has to whip that lot up at a rate of knots. But now I can binge out Harold and Kumar style without worrying about the stress I'm putting the fry chefs under, courtesy of the future, and a robot called Flippy.

Yes, that's right, White Castle is now hiring robots to work on their lines in their busiest locations. Don't think that this means that humans are getting punted from the job, they are simply being promoted to quality control positions, ensuring our microchip powered overlords are filling the orders correctly.

Spot the QR code style tags on the fry bays and baskets allowing the AI to "see" what it is putting where.

Spot the QR code style tags on the fry bays and baskets allowing the AI to "see" what it is putting where.

Flippy, which can learn and improve its performance through AI, will start out on the fry station before potentially expanding its purview to the grill. This move to automation was initiated before the COVID-19 pandemic, but given the circumstances, a more distanced means of cooking isn't likely to be a bad thing. Add in the boom in delivery orders and Flippy could be the answer to speeding up service in the fast-food industry.

Here are some videos of the 'bot in action. Check out that jiggle action with the basket, a true professional!

And if you don't trust robots making your White Castle order, here is how to make your own;

What do you think? Is this a sad sign for line cooks and traditional fast-food restaurants? Or are you happy that you'll get your sliders even faster and there's less chance someone coughed on them? Let me know in the comments.