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Burger-flipper has job safety from the AI automation robots. Test runs of Flippy the Burger Flipping robot apparently didn't last more than a day, before Flippy was let go. Apparently he wasn't fast enough, lacked social skills and other workers had to work around him and his giant burger flipping arm. Flippy 2.0 (or whatever) will probably return one day with new burger flipping artificial intelligence, an improved arm and one of them funny Hawkings-like voice boxes so he can chit-chat with the other co-workers.
"Mostly it's the timing," he said. "When you're in the back, working with people, you talk to each other. With Flippy, you kind of need to work around his schedule. Choreographing the movements of what you do, when and how you do it."
Previously: Burger-Flipping Robot Will Grill Meat in 50 Fast Food Restaurants
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Monday March 12 2018, @09:23PM (2 children)
Sure you can. I can drive up to my local McDonald's (which is quite rural, by the way), slip into a parking space, enter my order in the app on my phone, submit it, and a few minutes later out it comes. I never leave my car or bother with the drive-through. Fully automated order-taking, parking space destination selection, and payment – other than my input to it. Inside McDonald's, the order shows up on the computer, they cook/prep it, bag it, and deliver it. Rinse and repeat. No cashier involved.
All the remaining fast-food tasks will fall to automation eventually. It's just a matter of time. And likely not much of that, given the economics.
(Score: 2) by darnkitten on Wednesday March 14 2018, @03:50AM (1 child)
McDonalds was testing this for drive through ordering when I worked there about two decades ago, but, at the time, the technology wasn't there.
Now?...
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Wednesday March 14 2018, @02:33PM
It definitely is now. It works for both parking-space and drive through, as well as walk in and pick-up. I can set up multiple favorite items, customized with extra pickles and/or no bun or whatever, have my order queued up and ready to go, and fire it off with one click when I'm about to run over there (we live nearby) or when I get there. You just tell the phone app where you want to pick up - drive through, inside, or at a parking space.
It cuts way down on errors with orders, particularly special orders, and it eliminates the whole make-a-payment sequence (they have the CC on file via the app, so it "just works.")
I have to say, there's not much else I can see that they need to do for this end of the process. It's all remote – the menu and specials are downloaded every time you use the app, and that affects the speed of the app somewhat, but it's not obnoxious.
Inside the McDonald's they already have automation filling all the drink orders; a robot drops a cup, ice, fills it, tops it off. The server slaps a lid on it and there you go.
I noticed yesterday that Subway now has a sign on the door advertising pre-ordering via an app. Haven't tried that yet, but if they get it right it'll save a lot of waiting in line, which I would appreciate. Waiting in line isn't exactly the high point of my day. :)