Japan’s robot chefs aim to show how far automation can go

Machines across the world already make sushi, noodles and pizzas. Now a Japanese amusement park has taken a leap of faith by creating a restaurant with more robots than human workers.
The experimental robotic chefs at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park are not just a gimmick to draw tourists. They are part of a project — funded with $265,000 in Japanese government money — designed to examine which kitchen and food processes should be automated and which left to humans.
Japan is home to many world leaders in factory automation including Fanuc and Yaskawa Electric and the country’s prime minister Shinzo Abe is betting on robotic innovation to revive the country’s struggling services industry by 2020, in time for the tourist boost that the Summer Olympics is expected to provide.
An aggressive target set by Mr Abe envisages Japan growing the size of its domestic market for robots in the non-manufacturing sector to ¥1.2tn ($10.6bn) in 2020 from ¥60bn now.
At Huis Ten Bosch, there are 30 robots — most of them supplied by Japanese manufacturers including Yaskawa and Toyo Riki — supported by seven employees to operate the restaurant which has more than 100 seats. The company says sales have risen as a result of robots attracting more customers while labour efficiency has been boosted by using machines to improve turnaround times at tables.
Still, Ikki Nakahira, the Huis Ten Bosch manager who came up with the robot chef concept, says the automation technology is not advanced enough to operate the restaurant with robots alone, as was initially envisioned.
While automation may create fears of job losses, Rebecca Chesney, researcher at the Institute for the Future, a California-based think-tank, says more robotics will probably be introduced in the sector if people can appreciate their benefits. “We have a choice in how we implement some of these technologies in our food systems,” she says.

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