The researchers found that this approach significantly improved the robot's ability to quickly and accurately assess
Researchers at the University of Cambridge trained their robot chef to judge the saltiness of a dish by chewing, just as humans do.
The results could come in handy when developing automated or semi-automated food preparation to help robots determine what tastes good and what doesn't.
When people chew their food, they noticechange in texture and taste. For example, if you bite into a tomato, it will release juices, and as we chew it, releasing both saliva and digestive enzymes, our perception of the taste of a tomato will change.
The authors of the new work used a robot chef,who had already been trained to cook omelettes. Based on feedback from tasters, he tried nine different versions of a simple egg and tomato dish. To simulate the process of chewing and tasting, the researchers attached a conductive probe to the robot's arm, which acts as a salinity sensor. They made an omelette with tomatoes, varying the amount of tomatoes and the amount of salt in each dish.
Using a probe, the robot tried and returnedresults in just a few seconds. To mimic the texture change that occurs during normal chewing, the team placed the dish in a blender and asked the robot to test the dish again.
As a result, according to the authors, the robot learnedIt is better to evaluate the saltiness of a dish compared to similar devices. Researchers say that by mimicking human chewing and tasting processes, robots will be able to produce food that people will enjoy and that can be customized based on taste preferences.
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