In London’s W1 district, known for high-end spending, one can quickly encounter the city’s most expensive private doctor, purchase a Steinway piano, or acquire designer glasses with a price tag exceeding a mortgage payment. Wigmore Street, a locale favorited by the ultra-wealthy for high-end kitchens, is also the location of Moley Robotics, a company specializing in luxury kitchens and robotic arms designed to handle cooking tasks.
Moley Robotics, founded by Dr. Mark Oleynik, combines elements of a kitchen showroom with a robot laboratory. The venue features three demonstration kitchens, a large dining table, and display units showcasing various types of artisan marble for countertops. The main attraction is the operational X-AiR robot positioned near the front window as a draw for potential customers. Equipped with its cooktop, shelves, oils, and utensils, the robot can prepare a meal with appropriate guidance.
Dr. Oleynik’s goal was to enable people to consume healthier food, reducing their dependence on preservatives. His aversion to reheated and processed foods inspired him to seek automation solutions for cooking fresh meals. He reasons that late-night workers would prefer healthful recipes, preparing the raw ingredients and allowing the robot to complete the cooking process. This focus on health extends to the meal database, with many recipes contributed by the SHA Wellness Clinic.
Chef James Taylor, employed in-house by Moley, customizes each recipe to be executable by a single robotic arm. The company aims to introduce two or three new recipes monthly and invites customers to submit family recipes for automation. The robot mimics human culinary techniques, learning the steps from human chefs, with a promise of reduced error rates compared to human cooks.
Initially, Moley showcased a two-armed chef robot on overhead tracks, impressing many. However, Dr. Oleynik noted the cost of such a setup could surpass £250,000 (approximately $330,000), beyond the budget of many patrons in Wigmore Street. To make the product more accessible, the company transitioned to a single-arm unit, availing of a model from Universal Robots, an industrial robotics firm.
The X-AiR version available for pre-order requires customers to purchase additional equipment like a countertop, shelving units, a cooktop, a control tablet, and the robot itself, at a minimum cost of £80,000 (about $105,000). Although no installations have occurred yet, the company expects the process to begin within three to six months, with orders already being placed.
The X-AiR robot does not possess vision or sensory technology for environmental interaction, relying instead on a memory-set guide for ingredient placement. A camera serves mainly for technical support. The environment is tightly controlled to minimize errors, with saucepans secured over the cooktop.
During a demonstration, Moley staff prepped ingredients for an SHA Clinic Asian Tofu Saute recipe. Users are required to identify the location of ingredients by tapping a diagram to denote positions, such as “A1” for bean sprouts. Once set, the robot can autonomously complete the cooking process.
The recipe’s instructions are vocalized by the system, making them easy to follow. The arm gracefully moves to execute cooking tasks, such as oil application and ingredient combination, proceeding through its programmed actions, which include stirring and scraping techniques. However, it lacks in thoroughness compared to human stirring and can encounter issues without a vision system, such as ingredients sticking during cooking.
Dr. Oleynik discussed the challenges of automating less favored kitchen tasks, like peeling carrots or chopping onions, citing safety concerns over giving robots bladed tools. Current robot limitations include the volume of food prepared, restricted to eight to ten portions, suitable for simple gatherings. Adapting recipes to substitute unavailable ingredients is also not feasible with the present technology.
Oleynik envisions the robots appealing to affluent, time-pressed individuals, potentially proving more economical than hiring a private chef. He foresees applications in various sectors, including business and first-class airline dining, small kitchens operated by a single supervisor, or environments where budget constraints hinder the hiring of professional chefs, like hotels and service stations.
Despite these innovations, the system still requires human input for preparing and serving food, which might offset perceived labor savings. Nevertheless, Oleynik predicts businesses could recuperate their investment within the first year.
Looking forward, Oleynik anticipates a decline in price as the technology evolves. He compares the current high costs to those of luxury home appliances and hopes to reach a broader market ready to invest similarly in advanced kitchen robotics, aligning with other opulent offerings on Wigmore Street.
