Source: DishcraftA California-based startup has developed a robotic dishwasher for restaurants and other commercial kitchens.

The robotic dishwasher from Dishcraft Robotics cleans roughly 100 dishes at once thanks to help from machine learning and computer vision. Much like a traditional dishwasher, dishes are presorted and prestacked by humans, who place the dishes in a cart that is wheeled into the machine. Once inside, a robotic arm magnetically picks up each individual plate and dish, which contain steel in the base. The robot cleans the plate with a specialized scrubber head and then rinses it. In a final pass, the robot re-inspects each dish, rotating them 120°, and searches for leftovers still clinging to the dishes with computer vision. The robot places clean dishes and bowls in a drying rack and the entire process takes only seconds.

Currently, the machine can only clean the specially made plates and bowls with magnetic bases, and cannot wash glassware or silverware. Yet, the technology is expected to alleviate a dishwasher shortage in commercial kitchens. Turnover rates for dishwashers in commercial kitchens tend to be high, largely because it is dirty work for little money. Humans will continue to play a role in dishwashing, at least for now.

While Dishcraft Robotics announced that the system was ready for commercial use, the expense of the system, largely due to the specialized dishware, could dissuade adoption. The company is exploring leasing agreements and offsite cleaning services, similar to those offered to restaurants for linens.

With advancements in robotics, automation is quickly becoming a staple in many industries, including the food and beverage industry. Robots and artificial intelligence are taking over tasks in restaurant kitchens around the world, helping with food prep and food delivery. They are even being used to predict what customers are going to order.

To see how the robotic dishwasher works, watch the video that appears courtesy of Dishcraft Robotics.