[Robotbeat]

It occurs to me that buying a robot arm to literally flip burgers is highly anthropomorphizing the solution space. You want a machine that gives you a burger at the end. This is a pretty easy thing to automate if you had a huge, constant demand for burgers at one single location using standard factory automation strategies. Might not be feasible at all for the typical franchises with spikey demand and relatively low volume.

I say we increase the minimum wage to about $20/hour, adjusted for productivity growth (per capita GDP) since the 1960s and see what happens.

[coredog64]

There’s not actually a need to physically flip burgers at McD. They use a clamshell grill that cooks both sides at once.

Besides, the fry robot has a better ROI given the profit margin on that item.

[Robotbeat]

Makes sense. Stuff like the clamshell device is a more practical innovation than a clunky and slow anthropomorphic robot arm flipping a burger.

We don’t fly aircraft like ornithopters, but with ducted fans and propellers.

[marcosdumay]

Assembling different kinds of sandwich is the kind of problem where a robot arm may be among the best solutions. But yeah, it's bad for flipping burgers alone.