Nanogirl Michelle Dickinson: Let robots take Xmas stress

... and then the robochef cleans the kitchen. Photo / Moley Robotics

Opinion

Cooking Christmas dinner for the family is a huge responsibility - in fact research has shown it to be the most stressful meal of the year to prepare.

The fear of dry turkey, limp broccoli and soggy pavlova are enough to make even the most experienced cook think seriously about restaurant reservations for next year.

All that pressure may soon be a thing of the past, however, thanks to a new generation of smart kitchen appliances. These devices promise Christmas dinner - and all your other meals - prepared perfectly every time.

Next year the Moley Robotics robochef goes on sale to the public. Two robotic arms installed above a cooking area with a sink, oven and hob are designed to revolutionise cooking as we know it.

The robot's anthropomorphic hands appear uncannily human-like when cooking. Using 3D motion cameras the intricate movements of a human chef are captured electronically, and this data is then translated into movements by the robot. Using 20 motors, 24 joints and 129 sensors it can hold pots, pick up and use kitchen utensils, stack dishes and squeeze ingredient bottles.

With its cooking abilities based directly on mimicry of human skills, the robochef is only as good as the human that was recorded.

The initial robot training was carried out by UK MasterChef winner Tim Anderson - the robot is now set up to base its knowledge of recipes and cooking techniques on a collective database, allowing chefs from around the world to be filmed creating their favourite dishes.

Artificial intelligence will mine this data, helping the robot to learn to cook using a combination of mimicked human techniques. So long as you can provide the ingredients, the robot kitchen helper has the potential to create the best of any cuisine you desire, all at the touch of a smartphone ... and as if that wasn't enough, after preparing your perfect meal, the robot then proceeds to clean the kitchen by itself.

As good as all that sounds, the initial price of $20,000 might shock you back to reality, and puts the robochef out of reach for most Kiwi Christmas dinners.

A more affordable compromise might be the newly released "June" oven. With internal cameras to identify the food being cooked, a temperature probe, and Wi-Fi for smartphone app control, June uses artificial intelligence combined with software algorithms to perfectly cook certain foods.

Designed with six carbon fibre heating elements divided into three individually controlled banks with two independent convection fans rotating in opposite directions to eliminate cold spots, the June has much more temperature control than a regular oven.

After you put your food in, the internal HD camera images the food, the processor identifies it, and the oven asks you how you like your food cooked - in the case of a steak, options such as rare, medium or well done are offered.

Based on your response, the oven will automatically tailor its heat settings to ensure perfect cooking every time. The camera remains on during cooking, so you can view your food using your smartphone throughout the process. It even has an option to share a time-lapse video of your food as it cooks if you so wish.

Once cooking is complete, the oven will send a message to your smartphone to notify you that your dinner is ready. At only $2000, the June oven could be the perfect Christmas turkey solution you have been searching for.

If Christmas dinner preparations are keeping you busy today, take comfort in the idea that, thanks to technology, stressful Christmas dinner preparation may soon be a nostalgic memory.