Robo-chef on wheels serves up Korean BBQ that cooks itself en route

A robotic food truck is cooking up fresh Korean stir-fries without the need for a human chef. At the crossroads of robotics and restaurants, one Silicon Valley startup says it’s serving up the future. It’s a new kind of food truck hitting the road that might change the way we think about food delivery. In a world where delivery robots are dropping off food, Kish Shin is flipping the script.

Kish Shin, CEO & co-founder of Shin Starr Presents, says, “We thought we wanted to disrupt and enhance the food delivery service market by a food truck that is able to cook food autonomously whilst in driving conditions.”

Inside the truck, the magic happens through a system called Autowok, a modular, AI-powered robot that automates cooking, serving, and even cleaning. Once a human preps the ingredients and stocks the truck, the robot takes over from there. Shin says, “So the value of the truck is it’s able to provide freshly cooked food, which is obviously more tasty, better quality food because it’s freshly cooked.”

As the truck drives to your location, the system retrieves ingredients and drops them into a heated, rotating canister, like a high-tech wok. The Autowok fires into life, and hot meals are stir-fried en route. “Once the food is finished, the Autowok dispenses the finished food into the bowl, and the bowl is passed on to the driving section,” says Shin.

What’s more, the robot is even able to clean itself—so no more laborious pot-washing. Shin says, “The Autowok is able to clean itself, to, I want to say, a perfect clean condition.”

Shin Starr also envisions someday partnering with an autonomous vehicle company. “We’re definitely very open to working closely with the likes of delivery bots, as well as driverless trucks, so in which case our next generation trucks wouldn’t even require a human driver,” he says.

The company isn’t stopping at food trucks. Shin Starr is preparing to open its first micro restaurant inside a California airport, a fully automated kitchen that serves guests 24/7.

This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.