(MENAFN- Robotics & automation News)
Chipotle installs 'cobotic' avocado preparation prototype
Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled“Autocado”, its avocado processing cobotic – collaborative robotic – prototype developed in partnership with Vebu that cuts, cores, and peels avocados before they are hand mashed to create the restaurant's signature guacamole, and the Augmented Makeline, a cobotic makeline built in collaboration with Hyphen , are being tested in Chipotle restaurants for the first time.
Autocado is currently operating at Chipotle's Huntington Beach, California location at 20972 Magnolia St and the Augmented Makeline is being utilized at the company's Corona del Mar, California location at 3050 East Coast Highway.
Curt Garner, chief customer and technology officer, says:“These cobotic devices could help us build a stronger operational engine that delivers a great experience for our team members and our guests while maintaining Chipotle's high culinary standards.
“Optimizing our use of these systems and incorporating crew and customer feedback are the next steps in the stage-gate process before determining their broader pilot plans.”
Vebu and Chipotle worked closely with Certified Training Managers from Chipotle's restaurants to analyze the company's preparation process and identify tasks that are time consuming and less favorable among crew members.
In the Huntington Beach restaurant where Autocado is operating, crew members can focus on assisting with other food prep items and delivering exceptional hospitality to guests while Autocado cuts avocados, removes their skin, and separates their fruit through an automated process.
On average, it takes Autocado approximately 26 seconds to fully flesh out the fruit inside an avocado. In Chipotle locations across the US, Canada, and Europe this year, the company is expected to use approximately 5.18 million cases of avocados, equivalent to 129.5 million pounds of fruit.
The current iteration of Autocado features an updated design and size agnostic avocado processing abilities, meaning that the machine recognizes variability in the fruit and automatically adjusts itself to accommodate the size of the avocados being loaded.
Chipotle's Augmented Makeline, created in collaboration with Hyphen, uses automated technology to build bowls and salads while Chipotle employees operate the top makeline to make burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and kid's meals.
Approximately 65 percent of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads, so the Augmented Makeline can improve employee efficiency and digital order accuracy, ensuring a more consistent experience for digital guests.
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