Vending machines date back to the 19th century and have become overly popular all over the world. The trend beginning with vending envelopes and post cards later shifted to freshly made food, like baguettes, and even pizzas. Robots are trending particularly in the food industry. We have seen Robot Baristas and Robot waiters serving coffee and food. There are even robots that cook food. Sally the salad robot makes you a salad from a thousand different combinations within a minute.
In this world of junk food, no one would really think of an automated salad machine, but Chowbotics did. Making a salad requires a lot of effort, almost as much as cooking a meal does, and it is still only a salad. Restaurants, especially the fast food joints can not provide very fresh salads particularly late into the night. If you believe in eating healthy, Sally is just the right help. The machine uses up to 21 different ingredients and makes you the salad of your choice.
Sally the salad robot is essentially a smart vending machine measuring 31.7 x 33.2 inches, just about the size of a dorm room refrigerator. A series of canisters inside the case contain fresh ingredients including vegetables and a variety of dressings and toppings. A touch screen interface allows you to select your salad from a menu of signature salads or make a customized bowl for yourself. Sally dispenses all the ingredients in the bowl placed in the dispensing slot and even provides calorie information.
The machine does keep your ingredients fresh, but it can not chop or prepare them. The canisters have to be filled with cleaned and chopped ingredients.
Sally has already been installed at Galvanize, a shared workplace in San Francisco. The machine intended to be used in cafeterias, restaurants, and hotels is now available for pre-order at a price of $30,000.
Have a look at the video below to see how Sally the salad robot works:
