Appetronix, an automation company in London, is using AI driven dispensing technology to create the ultimate comfort food. “What we have behind us is our fully autonomous robotic pizza making machine,” said Ray Schott, co-founder of Appetronix. The first of its kind, the unique machine was designed to bring freshly made food to places where it is not always available. “We could drop this into a university, or an office tower, and provide food in that sort of environment,” said Schott. While one machine is housed at a warehouse in London, the first customer-facing unit is located at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. “Passengers coming through the airport and airport staff can come up and order a pizza and then watch it being made,” said Schott. “Then they just go around the corner to the lockers and get a four-digit code on their phone, the locker door opens up, and they can get their pizza.” Once customers have chosen between pepperoni or cheese, the pizzas take approximately six and a half minutes to make. Engineers on the project said the process to create a self-operating machine is extensive. “It starts with an idea, we bring it to life, we scrap it and entirely redo,” said Victoria Korhonen, an engineer with Appetronix. “It’s a long process with a lot of iterations.” Appetronix announced Wednesday it acquired Cibotica, a Vancouver-based food robotics company, adding more technology to help make a wider variety of meals. “We are working on a Mexican bowl-type cuisine,” said Korhonen. “Lots of work to be done but that’s really exciting.”
