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A robot that makes burritos? Chipotle just made it happen

Automation continues to expand in foodservice with this 'bot burrito bowl' from the Mexican fast food chain.

Click here to read the Spanish version.

Welcome to the future: Chipotle has recently updated its system to implement and support its burrito business through robotics, as it did previously with another ‘cobot’ called ‘Autocado’, which slices avocados for guacamole, as well as ‘Chippy’: a robotic arm trained to make tortilla chips.

It is a new ‘collaborative robot‘ or cobot that is being tested to make burrito bowls and salads alongside its human team, as a way of helping and streamlining collective work.

This robot is designed by the company Hyphen, and is currently being tested at the Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine (California) with the aim of implementing it in their restaurants in the near future.

How does it work?

If an online order includes a burrito bowl or salad, that dish will be sent directly to Hyphen. The machine moves a bowl down the production line and stops underneath the containers filled with the required ingredients.

According to Chipotle, Hyphen would move into the second prep line and would be used to assemble burrito bowls or salads that have been ordered digitally through the Chipotle app, Chipotle.com or a third-party platform; acting right under the table where employees roll burritos.