Burger flipping robotics: You knew it would happen

In San Francisco, the newest burger is cheap ($6), tasty, and made by a machine.

Customers of the shop Creator place their orders on a mobile application or in person, making some custom choices. Then, they can watch as the 14-foot burger-making machines cut up tomatoes and onions, toast the buns, add preferred sauces and put it all together in five minutes.
The brain child of CEO Angelo Vardakostas, the burger machine was created with mechanical engineer Steven Frehn and financed to the tune of $18 million by Google.

According to Wired, Creator will have up to nine employees during peak hours — the average for the fast food industry. But employee roles will be different. Humans will maintain the machine, refill ingredients, keep the shop clean, interact with customers, and manage the space.
How this human staffing will change over time is in question. At the moment, staffers are encouraged to read during their shifts, suggesting that they aren’t always very productive. If competitors arise using the machines the company will be marketing, the $16-an-hour human staff might well be cut in price competition.

That won’t be a surprise since, according to Martin Ford, author of Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, within the next five to 10 years, major fast-food chains will be able to reduce staff by 30 to 40 percent due to automation.