Illinois Patent of the Month – January 2022
The world has been moving towards automation for a long time now, with the automation of many manufacturing processes already well implemented. In more recent years, we have seen the automation of service industries through self-checkout and fast food ordering kiosks. To complement these innovations, Prince Castle, LLC has developed a method for a robot to prepare food from cooking to assembling.
The method involves the use of a robotic arm to perform the initial food preparation, including frying chicken, meat, fries etc. Once cooked, the arm can be instructed to assemble the food as needed, whether it’s a sandwich or a basket of food, and then wrap it up to go. In order to make this possible, Prince Castle has designed a process the arm can follow using a series of containers and baskets. For instance, the arm can hold a wire basket which has meat in it and move the meat through the egg and flour/seasoning bases by dipping the basket into the egg base, then into the flour base. The robotic arm can hold a spatula to flip the meat and ensure it’s fully coated. With the help of a wrap assist device, the arm can wrap up the finished product so that it’s ready to be given to a customer.
Prince Castle has a love for food, and improving the preparation process. Introducing a robot to handle the food prep would reduce the labor needed and introduce a more consistent final product.
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