Flippy The Hamburger Flipper ‘Called To The Majors’ Set To Make Debut At Dodger Stadium In August
Flippy the robot hamburger flipper is getting called up to the big leagues. He isn’t going to help the starting rotation any, but he will be flipping chicken tenders like crazy when he makes his debut at Dodger Stadium this August. Flippy, coming off a rough stint in the “minors”, has the full confidence of David Zito, CEO of Miso Robotics, and the Dodger’s organization.
Flippy has seen some action, as he was temporarily with a Pasadena, California, burger restaurant earlier this year before being released to go work on his mechanics. The problem Flippy was cited as having was keeping up with a rush of customers. Zito has said that Flippy has been successfully retooled and is ready for another shot. Zito told CNN that Flippy has been doing an eight-hour day in which he is flipping thousands of burgers with no problem.
When Flippy goes to work at Dodger Stadium, he will be leaving his days of burgers behind him, and will instead cook fried chicken tenders and tater-tots. In August, Flippy will work alongside human counterparts who can observe how the robot works. Since Flippy came back at Caliburger, no problems have been cited with his ability to keep up with demand, or its ability to prepare food properly.
Miso Robotics’ Flippy robot will fry chicken and tater tots at Dodgers Stadium this summer https://t.co/WjVwQCztKE
— Kyle Wiggers (@Kyle_L_Wiggers) July 26, 2018
Flippy is equipped with sensors that allow it to detect the temperature of the fryers and provide real-time updates on how much time will be needed for whatever is being prepared to be ready, according to Miso Electronics website. When Flippy alerts co-workers that food is ready, they can then manually check the temperature to ensure that information is correct, and prepare it to be served. Throughout July, employees have been trained to work with Flippy to help make sure his addition to the team will be a smooth transition.
The upside of having Flippy is that it takes human employees away from doing some of the grunt work that comes with being in a kitchen, which also means no one will have to stand over a hot fryer checking if food is ready. For fans, Flippy should help speed up service, which at the ballpark is always something people standing in line for concessions cites as something that could improve their overall experience attending games. As Flippy never gets sick or needs a day off, reliability is a big bonus.
Some economists point out that if Flippy is successful and spreads to more fast food operations, it may have an impact on the number of jobs available for people in those places. Even though Flippy can’t take orders or plate food, yet, the long-term potential for that observation to be true is not refuted. According to L.A. Eater, there is no word on how long Flippy will be at Dodger Stadium, and no one is out of work due to his trial run with the big team.
