Video: ABB FlexPicker replaces human pancake pickers with amazing effect

Mmm, pancakes. While moms might be responsible for giving us our first taste, it's the humble robot that makes these golden-brown discs of battered splendor available for mass market binging. A promotional video from ABB Robotics shows how its FlexPicker robots installed at a HoneyTop foods facility can accelerate production while simultaneously improving hygienic conditions. Four gigabit Ethernet cameras are mounted in front of each robot to locate the pancakes running down the conveyor belt. Software allows the bots to recognize and grab overlapping pancakes and then stack the 'cakes for easy packing. A software reconfig allows for quick production changes from pancakes to pretty much anything the robot can grasp including Soylent Green ration wafers. The video starts slow, but delivers with an impressive 400 pancakes per minute sorting routine -- see it after the break.

[Via Make:]

[The Prince Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:12AM]

now only if mass produced pancakes tasted anything like real fresh pancakes

[Merlot and Shiraz Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:29AM]

These pancakes are for robots to eat

[Extinction Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:44AM]

The irony in using a robot to help distribute food for humans, is that it reduces the amount of money going to humans to spend money on said food...

[2d546a2d Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:23AM]

Maybe one day these will help pack soylent green.

[inteller Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:47AM]

dude, I don't want a pancake maker from The Matrix....that is just creepy.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:47AM]

PANCAKE HERO!

O O

O OO

OO O

OOOO


O O O

[guaxinim Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:52AM]

@Extinction why humans should we work piling pancankes to make money? We can build robots =P. Or do something more interesting. Read Asimov for your fearing of human extinction caused by lack of repetitive work that can be done by robots.

[One Love Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:52AM]

So in the future, when robots rebel and take over, we will be enslaved and forced to eat pancakes! I am putting maple syrup in my robot rebellion kit.

[benblake112 Posted Sep 30th 2009 1:02PM]

@Extinction: On the "flip side", the design/engineering, production, installation and maintenance of those robots might stimulate other jobs? And, if we lived in a magical world where things work they way they should, the pancake manufacturer would reduce the price of said pancakes due to the money saved in manufacturing by having the robot do the stacking instead of humans... If only! :-D

[NeatOman Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:16AM]

I'm Hungry now

[Ryan Trevisol Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:54AM]

Wait, wait, wait. BACK THE EFF UP. There's pre-packaged pancakes?

I think I need to call in sick tomorrow.

[Maurizio Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:03AM]

@ Ryan trevisol,

I almost chocked on my breakfast I was laughing so hard.

Good show.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:26PM]

i'm off to tesco to see if they still have the sucker imprints on them!

[Shinigami Posted Oct 1st 2009 12:49AM]

0:47
I'm no longer hungry....

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:19AM]

so its more hygienic how? people are still touching them before they go into the machine, kinda seems like it defeats the whole purpose

[Edobe Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:27AM]

You Obviously missed the previous video's on the ABB Flex pancake batter mixer, the ABB Flex Pancake maker, and the ABB flex mover of finished pancakes from maker to Picker.

[utsuri Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:30AM]

maybe those are robot as well~

[SmokemeaKipper Posted Sep 30th 2009 7:52AM]

The robots don't lick them before they stack.

[Amun Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:24AM]

This reminds me of pick-it bots in Diablo 2. Only they didn't come with totally sweet robot arms...

[Scabies Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:29AM]

Not gonna lie, thats pretty fascinating

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 11:29AM]

Fascinating?? This is how the uprising begins! But, I pledge to to meet my end amidst buttery, syrupy goodness.

[peepeeland Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:32AM]

I'm high as shit right now, and I swear I can eat ALL OF THOSE.

[musback Posted Sep 30th 2009 6:09AM]

Let me guess: u'r also unemployed? Bon apetite!

[Crash Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:46AM]

Well, there's something to be proud of... Pfft!

[trevorgehman Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:54AM]

Of course he's unemployed... he lost his job to the pancake stacking machine...

[iErik Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:32AM]

A whole new meaning to the term "Stack Overflow"

[mattybe Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:44AM]

Hah! And I love their "buffer."

[joshuag18 Posted Sep 30th 2009 7:24PM]

On the buffer "until a short stack arrives." Pancake puns FTW.

[wickywills Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:33AM]

1:23 looks like some weird spider dance!

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:34AM]

looks a lot like an adept quattro: http://www.adept.com/component/content/article/3-videos/195-adept-quattro-high-speed-packaging

[Weiman Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:35AM]

Nope, the Adept Quatro looks a lot like the ABB FlexPicker. We (I work at ABB Robotics) made the original. But the patent has expired so now anyone kan have their take.

[Meekermoloko Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:36AM]

The FUTURE is near.


Finally!!!

[Taai Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:45AM]

They took R jaaabz!

[Benhur Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:52AM]

I have one in the kitchen, over the stove.
works great, but was a pain to install. also great with toast, BTW.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 4:53AM]

MMMMMMMMMMM..im hungry....who wants pancakes?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:11AM]

dude STFU

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:03AM]

Wait... It's fast and all, but will it run Crysis?

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 1st 2009 8:59AM]

Not in the traditional sense, however, it can simulate crysis. By organizing the pancakes in rows, each row having eight spots, thus representing a byte, it can slowly be used to form a data stream. If hooked up to a monitor the pancake deliciousness can interpreted as this thing you call "crysis".

Side note: all these bits, bytes, and nibbles of pancakes makes me full.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:10AM]

omg make your own damn pancakes, people are stupid investment into this high tech machine for reduce labor cost over a fuggin pancake = no jobs for humans way to go gayness.

[sbutcher Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:17AM]

The Luddites are back?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:35AM]

I suppose the machines make themselves. Where do the parts for the machines come from? Who designed the machines? Who maintains the machines?


Its a matter of redistribution and evolution.

Although I personally would like to see it applied elsewhere.I dont eat pancakes :(.

[mkaake Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:48AM]

er, this isn't designed specifically for pancakes - it's designed as an industrial pick and place unit. their current demo is set up at their facility with mike and ike candy - the idea is that they can pick items off of a conveyor and place them in a predetermined location, accurately...

[barry99705 Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:55AM]

Look at all these little things! So busy now! Notice how each one is useful. A lovely ballet ensues, so full of form and color. Now, think about all those people that created them. Technicians, engineers, hundreds of people, who will be able to feed their children tonight, so those children can grow up big and strong and have little teeny children of their own, and so on and so forth. Thus, adding to the great chain of life.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:40AM]

@barry99705 - Fruit... A cherry...

[PGPProtector Posted Sep 30th 2009 1:05PM]

If Everyone cooked their own pancakes, that whole company wouldn't be in business.

[Siddharth Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:14AM]

will it blend? :p

[PuttyKitties Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:35AM]

seems like this machine was what is left of Quake 4 and reprogrammed to make pancakes... Mmm. Wonder what happens when a chef is standing right next to it...

[woobl Posted Sep 30th 2009 5:44AM]

Looks like what we would turn the 'War of the Worlds' robots into if we ever caught them.

[stridermt2k Posted Sep 30th 2009 7:30AM]

See?

If you don't stay in Robot School you'll end up just like THAT Robot: Flippin' pancakes for a living!

[NOOK360 Posted Sep 30th 2009 7:37AM]

Does it run on Windows? Linux? or ... GLaDOS?