[comp.robotics] Automation or Robots applied in food preparation and hotel mang.

chchen@csunb.cs.uh.edu () (04/24/91)

Hi:
  I am looking for some information about the following topics:

   1. Automation or robots applied in food preparation, and
   2. Hotel and Restaurant computerization.
   3. Point-of-sale and property management system in hospitality.
 
  Anyone who can provide the information  will be highly appreciated.


Susan
email address : chchen@cs.uh.edu
 

kherron@ms.uky.edu (Kenneth Herron) (04/24/91)

chchen@csunb.cs.uh.edu writes:

>Hi:
>  I am looking for some information about the following topics:

>   1. Automation or robots applied in food preparation, and

When I was in the Hardee's restaurant in Harrisonville, MO, they had 
an automated drink filler.  It was evidently hooked up into the system
that records orders; as soon as our order was rung up, a series of 
cups dropped onto a conveyor belt, which moved them to spigots where
they were filled up.  After this each cup was moved to separate
waiting areas (grouped by flavor or order, I don't recall which) using
little solenoid-operated gates to snag them off the belt.

The girl had to top off each cup at the manual spigot because evidently
the drink dispenser was misadjusted.  All in all, one of the worst
misapplications of technology I've ever seen :-)

(Then there's the Arby's in Clarkesville IN with a dumbwaiter in place
of a drive-thru window...)
-- 
Kenneth Herron                                            kherron@ms.uky.edu
University of Kentucky                                        (606) 257-2975
Department of Mathematics 
             "P.S.:  Please excuse the lateness of my reply." -- Ringo Starr

rslau@usc.edu (Robert Lau) (04/25/91)

April issue of Discover, page 12...

excerpt:

  PizzaBot was developed by engineers at Carnegie-Mellon to help disabled
  people become entrepreneurs. [...]

  The result is a robotic arm placed in front of a semicircular counter,
  with ingredients and tools within easy reach.  After the disabled
  manager calls out an order, a simple voice-recognition system decides
  which of two possible sizes and 12 condiments it just heard. [...]

Article said that K.G. Engelhardt was the head of the engineering team.

-- 
--Robert Lau					213.740.2866
  Unix Systems					Internet: rslau@usc.edu
  University Computing Services			UUCP:     ...!uunet!usc!rslau
  University of Southern California		Bitnet:   rslau@gamera

abg@mars.ornl.gov (Alex Bangs -- bangsal@ornl.gov) (05/07/91)

Honeybee Robotics, in New York City, has developed a bartending robot,
called RoboTender. If you are interested, you can reach them at (212)
966-0661. Ask for Chris Chapman.

Alex L. Bangs ---> bangsal@ornl.gov         Of course, my opinions are
Oak Ridge National Laboratory/CESAR            my own darned business...
Autonomous Robotic Systems Group