Pizza robot: second chance for high technology or cultural skepticism?

Von NAG Redaktion

Pazzi Robotics, ein französisches Startup, schloss 2022 trotz innovativer Pizzaroboter. Diskussion über Automatisierung im Lebensmittelbereich.
Pazzi Robotics, a French startup, closed 2022 despite innovative pizza robots. Discussion about automation in the food sector. (Symbolbild/WOM87)

In today's world, technology is constantly being put to the test, and sometimes new ideas are not ripe quickly enough to assert themselves on the market. A current example of this is the French startup Pazzi Robotics. This company wanted to revolutionize the production of pizza by developing a robot that can prepare a pizza from scratch in less than five minutes. But despite technological achievements and an innovation period of nine years, Pazzi had to delete the sails in 2022, as the challenges in the hardware area and, among other difficulties, were too great. Fox News reports that the robot was capable of kneading dough, baking the pizza and finally packing it completely autonomously.

PAZZI was not only innovative in his technical solutions, but was also lucky enough to work with the world -famous Pizzaiolo Thierry Graffagnino, which significantly increased the quality of the products. CEO Philippe Goldman, who was recognized as "Most Innovative CEO of the Fast Food Industry", said that the company's closure was a great personal disappointment for him. The cultural skepticism of robotics in the French food industry and the limited public financing for hardware projects proved to be large hurdles. iask.ca continues that the difficulties in management and the lack of technological focus also on this development contributed.

The challenges of robotics in the food industry

The experiences of Pazzi Robotics throw a light on the deeper problem in the food industry, especially when using robots. While automation is very popular in many areas, the food industry and in particular catering environments are often confronted with reserved. Critics fear that the use of robots such as Pazzi could endanger jobs in the restaurant segment. But on closer inspection, the reality looks a bit more differentiated. The increasing demand for automation is driven by a lack of workers and increasing operating costs.

From a technologically speaking, robots such as Pazzi that from Pazzi can also contribute to increasing efficiency and reducing waste. They are able to optimize processes, which is particularly advantageous in view of the challenges in gastronomy. The use of AI and machine vision to optimize production is only one aspect. Hygiene also plays a crucial role, which is why robot systems have to be checked for their cleaning efficiency and hygiene design. As DLG it is important that materials that come into contact with food is healthy and that Cleaning the systems must be designed efficiently. This is particularly essential in the catering.

a second attempt for pizza robots?

In view of the increasing difficulties in gastronomy, the question arises as to whether pizza robots like that of Pazzi earn a second chance. In markets such as Italy, where there is a deeper cultural familiarity with pizza, the potential for such technologies could be greater. Automation could not only score through efficiency, but also through cost cuts and the possibility of 24-hour supply of fresh pizzas. But the challenges remain: How can cultural resistances be broken down? What support can governments offer?

It remains to be seen whether in the future pizza robots are finally attributed to the importance they deserve with a better understanding and in a more receptive market. In any case, the discussion has opened, and the answers will be crucial for whether we can watch robots in pizza baking in the near future.

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OrtParis, Frankreich
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