Have you ever seen a humanoid robot preparing kebabs for you? Well, people in China recently got to see exactly that. A humanoid robot took over the grill during a live demonstration in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The robot grilled kebabs and skewered meat. It even attempted hand-pulled noodles that, as we all know, are one of the region’s most challenging dishes to prepare. The display indeed showed how much artificial intelligence and robotic dexterity are progressing day by day. 

The demonstration took place on July 15 at Liuxing Street in Yining City. It is a national-level tourism and leisure district. And it is very well-known for its unique hexagonal street layout. People gathered in a local restaurant to watch the robot prepare traditional Xinjiang dishes. There, the robot performed a variety of cooking tasks that showed how much precision and coordination the robot has. 

The robot started off with grilling kebabs and skewering meat. Now, these were the tasks that required a lot of precision and coordination between its fingers and wrists, along with the arm. Alongside, the robot was supposed to control the force in a very precise way in order to handle soft and uneven pieces of meat. As per the developers, the robot learned these basic cooking operations after less than a week of task-specific training. Although its performance was way less impressive than that of an experienced chef, the demonstration surely showed how quickly humanoid robots can learn physical skills.

The biggest challenge came when the robot attempted to prepare hand-pulled noodles. This is one of Xinjiang’s most famous dishes. Stretching the soft and elastic dough requires a lot of attention. And that’s because even a minor mistake can cause the dough to tear or even drop on the floor.  In order to complete the task, the robot used dexterous hands equipped with tactile sensors. These sensors continuously detected changes in pressure and movement. The system recorded force data from multiple directions. With the help of this data, engineers analyze each and every movement and improve the robot’s performance through repeated training and machine learning.

Developers said every cooking session produces valuable real-world data that helps refine the robot’s ability to manipulate delicate objects and perform increasingly complex tasks. Unlike controlled laboratory environments, cooking presents constantly changing conditions that require robots to combine perception and motion planning as well as force control in real time.

Engineers believe testing humanoid robots in everyday activities such as cooking will help speed up their development for practical applications beyond manufacturing. In the future, similar technologies could support roles in a variety of sectors. These can include hospitality, retail, healthcare, and home assistance, etc.

The live cooking demonstration also served as a preview of the second World Humanoid Robot Games. The games will be held in Beijing from August 22 to 26. During the event, people will be able to witness competitions based on real-world tasks. These competitions will give a better idea of how quickly the technology is advancing.