Robot chef earns rave reviews from students

The artificial intelligence-powered robot chef at the canteen of the middle school affiliated to Shanghai Minghang High School may have only been in operation for two months, but the machine has already won the hearts of many students.

In fact, many students have even claimed that these robot-prepared meals taste better than those made by a chef, said Song Wenjie, vice-principal of the school.

According to Song, the robot was introduced to the kitchen as part of measures to reduce human contact during the pandemic.

The robot, which begins work at 8 am every day, is responsible for tasks such as food preparation, cooking, reheating and distribution. It is capable of cooking more than 1,000 dishes through techniques such as frying and roasting.

Presently, the robot provides six dishes for students to choose from during each meal, including two meat dishes, two meat-and-vegetable dishes, and two vegetable dishes. Soup and fruit are still distributed by staff.

Song noted that the equipment is still in the testing stage, and a self-service cashier will also be rolled out after it is connected to AI image recognition technology.