The Autonomous Pizzaiolo
Robots have become an integral part of almost every industry in the modern world, so it should come as no surprise that pizza robots are now a thing (not robots made of pizza, but ones that make them).
French start-up, Ekim, is leading the way with the new concept of a pizzaiolo robot. This specific robot, usually sighted in car manufacturing plants, is capable of executing all the steps of preparing, cooking, and boxing the perfect pie. In fact, the robot’s gestures have been synchronized on those of a real-life pizzaiolo (a person who makes pizzas in a pizzeria).
The pizza-making robot can deliver a pizza every 30 seconds and up to 120 pizzas per hour, while a human can, on average, deliver only 40 per hour.
CEO of Ekim, Phillippe Goldman has stated: “Oddly, we are not faster than a pizzaiolo as we make a pizza in 4 minutes and 30 seconds, because the pizzas are made on demand in front of the customer, we take time to cook them well, to put the ingredients. But the robots have three arms, can co-ordinate their tasks and make several pizzas at once.”
Photo: REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
But it’s not all about being fast. All the ingredients offered to the customers are organic and carefully selected in France and Italy.
The idea sprouted in the heads of two French engineers as they were still in university. Fed up with eating low-quality fast food – the only meals they could afford at the time – they started thinking about a solution which could reconcile rapidity and quality at any hour of the day. Taking inspiration from the vending options available for coffee and snacks, this new system will allow anyone to order a freshly cooked pizza on demand.
The robot pizza hasn’t left its showroom just outside Paris but Ekim is currently looking for a permanent home for the autonomous pizza maker with plans to franchise their concept in 2019.
As troubling as this may seem to pizzaiolos around the world, Vittorio Monti, head chef of O’Scia pizzeria in central Paris, assures pizza lovers that the art form of the traditional Italian delicacy can not be reproduced by a robot. Although he admits a human will always be more of a financial investment than their robotic counterpart, there is simply no way a robot can truly adapt to the living ingredients necessary to make the perfect pie.
We hope you've enjoyed learning about The Autonomous Pizzaiolo! Don't want to wait for Ekim's creation to make it's way to the states? Our culturally infused group classes and native instructors can make sure speaking your way around France is "easy as pie!"