Miso Robotics unveils Flippy 2, a faster and more convenient cooking robot
Miso Robotics, a startup transforming the food service industry with intelligent automation, has unveiled the latest model of its Flippy robot, called Flippy 2. Based on key knowledge and feedback from innovation partner White Castle, Flippy 2 takes over the entire fryer station and performs more than twice as many cooking tasks as the previous version, including filling baskets, emptying them and returning them.
Working in fast food restaurants has historically been labor-intensive, physically demanding and sometimes even dangerous, given that cooks work close to hot oil and grills in compact kitchens. Flippy 2 aims to ease these pain points and create a better working environment for its human colleagues, while also maximizing kitchen efficiency.
During the deployment of Flippy at White Castle, the hamburger fast food chain was impressed and pleased with the productivity gains the robot brought to daily operations. While Flippy helped team members stay in their assigned places in the kitchen, employees noted during the pilot that human assistance was needed on both sides of the robot, from the initial point of contact with raw product to the moment cooked food is placed in the holding area, with one or two employees required at several stages. Basket handling was not automated, so the cooking process was not as smooth as it could be. Until now.
“We have learned a lot from Flippy and our partnership with Miso Robotics. It is exciting to see the future unfold in real time right in front of us, as we deliver even better service and even more hot, delicious food to our hungry customers”
Flippy 2, which handles the fryer station even during peak hours and lets team members focus on other important tasks, includes a new AutoBin system for small batches and specialty products such as onion rings or chicken drumsticks, giving restaurants an even more efficient and complete frying solution. Each basket can be adapted to the specific needs of the kitchen and separated for different products, such as vegetables and fish, to prevent cross-contamination.
Once the product is placed in the basket, AI Vision automatically identifies the food, picks it up, cooks it in the right fryer basket and places it in the hot holding zone. Eliminating the transfer task reduces human contact with food, the likelihood of oil splatter and burns caused by lifting and moving baskets, and provides a fully closed system in which the robot can work independently without human intervention mid-process. This speeds up the system, increasing throughput by 30%, or roughly 60 baskets per hour.
Flippy 2 also features a new, sleeker design that takes up less space in the kitchen, including a 56% reduction in intrusion into aisles, a 13% reduction in height and fewer surfaces to clean.
“Like all technologies, Flippy 2 has evolved significantly compared to its predecessor, and we are extremely grateful for the insights gained at White Castle that truly helped advance its development in a real restaurant environment. Flippy 2 takes up less kitchen space and exponentially increases output thanks to new features for filling, emptying and returning baskets. Since the creation of Flippy, our goal has always been to provide a customizable solution that harmoniously fits any kitchen and runs without disruption. Flippy 2 has more than 120 configurations built into its technology and is the only robotic fryer station currently produced at scale”
In addition to White Castle, Miso Robotics has signed several more pilot agreements with leading national brands, including the recently announced partnership with Inspire Brands. Flippy 2 combines key internal tasks to make fast food restaurants more efficient and aims to address a market worth $278.6 billion, so it can be configured to cook anything a brand needs, including fried products.
Miso Robotics is mainly funded by individual investors and is one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in history. The company has nearly 15,000 shareholders and has already raised more than $30 million. Miso Robotics is revolutionizing commercial food service with innovative robots-as-a-service solutions and intelligent automation that make restaurants safer, simpler and more welcoming.
The Miso artificial intelligence platform currently supports groundbreaking products, including Flippy 2, Flippy Wings, CookRight Grill and Automated Beverage Dispenser, each of which ensures consistency, boosts productivity, reduces costs and improves the overall dining experience. Miso's innovation partners include Inspire Brands, Levy Restaurants, Compass Group, White Castle, CaliBurger and other leading brands.
