Monday, July 8, 2013

Chillin and Grillin Robots for Summer Barbecues



What do you really need a robot for MOST at a barbeque? It could be for cooking, but maybe cleaning that grill is even better!

"These chillin’ and grillin’ robots make July 4 BBQs more awesome
Fourth of July barbecues are an American tradition that kick off the summer grilling season. Few things are sweeter than relaxing in the sunshine with a cold beer, surrounded by family, friends, and the aroma of roasting meat. But balancing the demands of cooking meat over flame with the desire to relax with loved ones can wear some down.
Fortunately in this day and age, technology can solve these problems. Robots, drones, and mobile machines are here to  put your mind and body at easy this Fourth of July. God Bless America. And robots.

The Hamburglar

The perfect hamburger requires careful execution of many of components. There is the composition of the ground meat to consider, and then pressure to achieve the right char-to-juice ratio, not to mention the laborious process of slicing up tomatoes and other toppings.
Momentum Machines has created a hamburger-making robot that automates the entire process of cooking a hamburger. It can produce around 360 hamburgers an hour, complete with tomatoes, pickles, condiments, or whatever your stomach desires.
The machine is intended to replace the line cooks at hamburger restaurants, providing a more efficient, sanitary, and cost-effective alternative. However, I don’t see any reason why a burger enthusiast with a wide-and-hungry social circle couldn’t benefit from the product as well. Between Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and global warming, there are plenty of sunny, barbecue-friendly days ahead.



Hot doggin’

If you are more of a hot dog person, don’t despair. Students across North America are building automatic hot dog machines. I found two examples — one from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the other from Humber College in Toronto — of machines that assemble hot dogs for you.
These machines cook the sausages and deliver them gracefully into the soft embrace of the hot dog buns. Once safely ensconced between the fluffy white bread, it guides the hot dogs down the line to the ketchup and mustard station, where they receives a delicate coating of condiments before exiting the machine into your waiting hands.
No more rotating the links on the grill, no more setting up an assembling of sandwiches, no more ketchup and mustard stains on your clothing (unless you are a messy eater).

Read the full article at its source: http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/04/these-chillin-and-grillin-robots-make-memorial-day-bbqs-more-awesome/

Student Focus Question(s):  What other barbecue chores would a robot be handy for? How might they work?  After thinking about this, you can enter your response using the "Comments" function, below (to the left of the envelope icon). Feel free to identify your school and/or class....

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Anyone who works with kids can do LEGO Robotics, a rich and highly motivating platform for important STEM Learning! (surprisingly affordable, too) This books explains it all!

Check out ROBOTICS for TEACHERS Podcast
www.roboticsforteachers.com

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