Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
Her name is Sally. Sally is the Chowbotics salad-making robot!
Using a 3 x 3 footprint, Sally the Salad robot allows users to select their salad ingredients, or pre-designed salads on a touchscreen menu, prepares the user’s salad using the freshest seasonal ingredients -- previously selected and loaded into the robot’s canisters by Chef Charlie Ayers-- and dispenses the user’s salad in a bowl, at work or anywhere else where the robotic vending machine has been installed and the program implemented.
The dispensing technology is recited in the US patent application US2017172351, titled Automated food making apparatus, an invention that seeks to minimize human intervention in the preparation of food, while retaining the known health benefits of a balanced and nutritious diet.
The patent recites a carousel with a plurality of canisters, equipped with an ingredient-dispensing paddle, and the robotic mechanism designed to rotate the ingredient-dispensing paddle. The canisters are designed to dispense liquid or solid ingredients. They are also equipped with inventive sealing means, temperature control means, and inventive clips for securing and releasing them, to and from the carousel.
The abstract for Sally the Salad robot invention is included below, together with the patent figure drawing, Fig 27, showing the salad dispensing canisters with their paddle, and the mechanisms actuating the paddles. The close-up image of the marketed product shows the green dispensing paddle within two canisters filled with salad ingredients.
An automated food making apparatus is described. An automated food making apparatus can include: a carousel; a dispensing apparatus shared among a plurality of canisters on the carousel, wherein at least one canister includes a paddle; and wherein the dispensing apparatus is configured to rotate the canister's paddle to dispense ingredients stored in the canister. A dispensing mechanism for an automated food making apparatus can include: an actuator arm; a motor that is adapted to rotate the actuator arm; one or more magnets embedded in the actuator arm; and one or more sensors configured to detect position of the actuator arm; wherein the actuator arm dispenses ingredients by rotating a pin located on a canister. [Abstract
References
Chef Charlie Ayers
Chowbotics - Robots for food service
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