CHINA – Beijing’s Market Supervision Bureau has granted a food license for robotics startup EncoSmart to deploy robots across its catering kitchens and prepare different foods for customers, the first in China.
It is the first license of its type granted to a robot system and marks a significant step towards quickly adopting robotics and artificial intelligence across the food service sector.
The license is, however, limited to the city’s Haidian District, home to over three million people.
EcoSmart’s Lava series robots will prepare fast foods like chicken and fries. However, the robotics startup revealed the robots will run on an AI-driven operating system that is designed to teach itself how to cook more complex dishes.
The robots also have the capability of recognizing different ingredients, determine cooking times and adjust texture & flavor of food.
According to the startup, the robots are revolutionary because they will improve overall operational efficiency by minimizing wait times, reducing costs while also standardizing food processing to meet precise taste preferences of customers.
Chen Zhen, EncoSmart’s founder and CEO, admitted catering robots are still in their early deployment stages in China, compared to other countries like Japan and the West.
However, the founder expressed optimism the growth of China’s food service industry will help accelerate the fast advancement of the technology.
According to Fortune Business Insights, China’s food service market is projected to grow from US$504.52 billion in 2024 to US$1.06 trillion by 2030, which translates to a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2%.
Zhen also revealed the company’s intention moving forward is to accumulate as much data as possible from different use scenarios.
He also announced that EncoSmart was working with Beijing officials to devise new standards and rules meant to regulate the incorporation of robots in catering and the food service sector in general.
These rules are intended to standardize the AI catering industry, setting precedence for the technology’s adoption throughout the rest of mainland China.
The robotic startup also expressed intentions of expanding to other locations in Beijing and beyond, as well as piloting its robotic chefs with major restaurant chains by the end of the year.
Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE
