A supermarket has opened in Düsseldorf where hot meals are prepared by a fully autonomous kitchen without human involvement. The project was implemented by German company Circus SE together with retailer REWE in the Fresh & Smart concept store.
The CA-1 Series 4 unit takes up only 7 square metres and can prepare up to 120 portions an hour. It is controlled by artificial intelligence and automatically washes the equipment after each order. The technology takes real demand into account: algorithms analyse demand and prepare only the number of portions needed, which helps minimise food waste — one of the most acute problems in food service. The main advantage is consistent quality, unaffected by shifts, staff fatigue, or seasonal labour shortages. Orders can be placed via a screen or by voice, and the entire cooking process is visible through a glass panel.
The technology is scalable: new sites are already under construction, and the kitchen could be useful in hospitals and universities. It is especially pleasant that the entire cooking process here is fully transparent — both literally and figuratively: everything is visible through the glass, with no kitchen secrets or closed doors, something that is so often missing even in the most expensive restaurants.
