All lay still.
asserted
All → lie → ?
A now defunct duo of robots were supposed to be churning out pizzas at a Moto Pizza restaurant in Seattle.
asserted
duo → suppose → Seattle
However, in May the pair were rendered "basically useless" when their supplier, Picnic, abruptly shut down.
uncertain
supplier → render → May
Technical support for the robots evaporated at that moment, says Lee Kindell, founder and chief executive of Moto Pizza.
asserted
Kindell → evaporate → Pizza
He was left wondering what to do with the $160,000 (£118,000), cabinet-like machines and whether buying in pizza bots was really worth it.
asserted
buying → leave → bots
"I don't know if I want to do a partnership again because of the failures," he says.
asserted
he → know → failures
The robot pizza-making business has, it's true, been littered with sorry tales of overcooked promises and melting fortunes.
asserted
it → make → promises
Besides Picnic, other companies that have come and gone include Zume, external and Pazzi, which used, external robot arms to assemble pizzas, as well as Basil Street, external, a purveyor of pizza vending machines.
asserted
which → come → machines
Although so-called fast food might seem an easy target for automation, it's proved harder than many expected.
uncertain
many → call → automation
Plus, bringing robots into pizza restaurants could take away entry-level jobs in the hospitality sector.
uncertain
bringing → bring → sector
Is the future really filled with robotic pizza?
asserted
future → fill → pizza
"We haven't yet seen any of the success stories materialise the way some people thought they would," admits Sara Senatore, senior restaurants analyst at Bank of America.
asserted
Senatore → see → America
Her employer has financial interests in multiple high street pizza chains including Papa Johns and Domino's.
asserted
employer → have → Johns
Food preparation bots are sometimes clumsy – dropping ingredients in the wrong places at times, she explains.
asserted
she → drop → times
Conversely, "Humans are very efficient at making pizza.
asserted
Humans → make → pizza
"I want to be able to walk up to, let's say, a type of kiosk, put in your order, and it makes a fresh pizza," he tells the BBC.
asserted
he → want → BBC
Kindell, who once made all his dough by hand – until an elbow tendon injury forced him to investigate using machines instead, is now working on his own version of a pizza-making robot.
asserted
injury → make → robot
He declines to share details but the contraption will make square pan-style pies and that the machine is inspired by the way 3D printers work.
asserted
printers → decline → way
If things go well, he says he could have a fully operational version of the device by the summer of 2027.
uncertain
he → go → 2027
Given that he admits he has "no experience" in robotics, I question why he would want to invest in such a dicey business.
asserted
he → give → business
Kindell says that failed pizza robot companies have nonetheless generated useful data and made strides in developing their technology.
asserted
companies → say → technology
It's just a matter of time before someone gets these things to work, he insists.
asserted
he → get → time
On jobs, he claims that even "fully autonomous" pizza robots won't threaten workers.
uncertain
robots → claim → workers
Kindell previously used Picnic's robots at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners, a baseball team.
asserted
Kindell → use → Mariners
Usually, he'd need about 10 people to make pizza in such a setup.
asserted
he → need → setup
With the robots that number fell to just two.
asserted
number → fall → two
But the other eight people were still employed, he says, in roles where they interacted with customers, and advertised the pizza around the stadium.
asserted
they → employ → stadium
"We had so many more people able to hand out the pizza," says Kindell.
asserted
Kindell → have → pizza
Last year at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio, Canadian firm Appetronix installed a 24/7 robotic pizza unit for the Donatos pizza chain.
asserted
Appetronix → instal → chain
Appetronix is working on newer versions of the technology that it claims will assemble pizzas at a furious pace.
uncertain
it → work → pace
The goal is to eventually have a pizza sliding out of such machines "every minute", says co-founder and chief executive Nipun Sharma.
asserted
Sharma → have → machines
To that end, his team is investigating methods of depositing sauce onto a pizza base far faster than the 9.5 seconds currently required.
asserted
team → investigate → seconds
"Think of it as a shower head that blasts the sauce in 1.5 seconds," says Sharma.
asserted
Sharma → think → seconds
The company is even investigating lasers and ultrasound as potentially speedier methods of slicing pizzas than a traditional knife blade.
asserted
company → investigate → blade
Many people enjoy hand-crafted pizza, though, I suggest.
asserted
I → enjoy → pizza
Doesn't a machine making your dinner take away the human connection we might otherwise feel with food?
uncertain
we → make → food
"What we're going after is a chain market," replies Sharma.
asserted
Sharma → go → What
"You want the pizza to taste the same every single time."
asserted
pizza → want → ?
This divide, between businesses focused on repeatability, and those who promise a more artisanal, human-fronted experience, predates robotics.
asserted
who → focus → robotics
But it will likely shape how and where technology arrives in the world of pizza.
asserted
technology → shape → pizza
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
