Our food chains are in big trouble, with farmers unable to reach markets, the meat processing industry a hot spot for the spread of viruses due to close quarters and lack of automation, and social isolation limiting consumers to take-out. When restaurants reopen for dining in, robots and automation will be key to helping them maintain new health safety standards.
Recently, Miso Robotics, a startup that focuses on intelligent automation for commercial kitchens, recently announced a new partnership with PathSpot Technologies, Inc. to advance sterile and healthy cooking environments and improve safety standards in kitchens to address the needs of the restaurant industry as it looks toward recovery. The partnership will allow Miso Robotics to offer PathSpot’s hand scanning device for optional integration into the design of Flippy, Miso Robotics’ autonomous kitchen assistant.
Like many sectors, the restaurant industry is tremendously affected by COVID-19. As restaurants begin to reopen widely, it is imperative that balancing employee and customer safety with food production is profitable. With the urgent demand for kitchen hygiene solutions, Miso Robotics’ partnership with PathSpot provides an additional layer of health and safety. As part of the partnership, Miso will work directly with PathSpot to facilitate the use of its hand scanning technology in restaurants and food service locations where Flippy will be deployed.
“Miso Robotics has always focused on ensuring a healthy kitchen environment. Flippy is certified by NSF International, and our autonomous design promotes social distancing needs and decreases human contact during the food prep process,” said Buck Jordan, CEO of Miso Robotics. “PathSpot’s hand scanning devices, paired with Flippy, take things one step further in reducing food contamination, giving consumers and workers the confidence needed to reignite takeout and delivery, while giving restaurants a way to attract customers back to their locations. We are excited about this strategic partnership that will get both of our solutions into the hands of some of the biggest name brands in food service.”
Miso Robotics is continuously looking for new opportunities to maximize how Flippy addresses the timeliest industry challenges. In its latest Flippy prototype, Robot on a Rail (ROAR), Miso Robotics turned the robotic arm upside-down and mounted it onto a rail to open additional floor space for operators and optimize production. PathSpot will be integrated with the latest Flippy design — set for rollout later this year — for operators interested in enhancing hygiene standards in the kitchen.
Similar to Flippy, PathSpot’s scanner is also an NSF certified solution. The advanced hand scanning technology enables:
- Instant Contamination Scan: After washing, team members scan their hands under the PathSpot device to confirm they are safe to handle food.
- Real-time Feedback: Team members complete a 2-second scan of their hands and are instructed to rewash and rescan before returning to work if contaminants are detected.
- Handwashing Data: The technology can recognize team members by ID codes, providing operators with data on who is washing their hands, how often, and how effectively.
“PathSpot’s commitment to advancing healthy and preventative practices in public spaces made Miso Robotics a natural choice for partnership,” said Christine Schindler, Co-founder & CEO of PathSpot. “We are two companies focused on delivering cutting-edge solutions. Together, we believe we can succeed in our mission to create a safer future-kitchen design.”
Miso Robotics’ technology and new partnerships (including the recently announced partnership with PopID’s temperature checking technology) are addressing the rapidly changing needs of the food service market in 2020.
Source: Miso Robotics
