Meet Moley: robotic kitchen that cooks and cleans unveiled at Gitex


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Not everyone is a natural whizz in the kitchen, but a futuristic invention hopes to help even kitchen novices cook up a storm.

Moley, a fully automated robot kitchen, launched at Gitex technology fair in Dubai’s World Trade Centre this week. The high-tech gadget can create entire meals, suggest dishes based on what’s in stock in your cupboards, clean itself and even tell you what ingredients need replacing.

It also boasts an automated unit consisting of cabinets, two five-finger robotic arms, a motion-capture system, a connected graphic user interface, a screen with access to a library of recipes, and a full set of smart kitchen appliances and equipment that can be used by both robot and human.

Moley can save up to 5,000 recipes in its system and has two robot hands which can perform simple tasks such as fetch items from the smart fridge, adjust cooking temperatures and use the sink to fill pans. Using sensors at the end of its arms, the robot can judge the pressure needed to ensure the correct hold of objects and ingredients.

However, it isn’t just the robot that impressed Gitex visitors, as the smart appliances in the kitchen are equally impressive. The smart fridge has the capability to inform users when the shelf life of a product is about to expire, as well as maintain an optimum temperature for different types of ingredients stored inside. It also has a smart storage system that can inform users when a specific product is about to run out.

In terms of design, the kitchen is currently available in only two options: luxury and modern. The luxury kitchen features Corian worktops, ebony lacquered panels and Patagonian marble kitchen island top. The modern design has more contemporary finishes using ceramic or Corian worktops, and panels in shades such as smoked eucalyptus. The Moley kitchen is also available with or without the robotic hands.

The project is the brainchild of Mark Oleynik, chief executive and founder of Moley Robotics, and has been in development for six years.

“Food is the basis of a good quality of life — we need proper nutrition. My goal is to make people’s lives better, healthier, and happier,” Oleynik says in a blog post by the Moley Robotics team.

The world's first fully robotic kitchen was launched at Gitex. Courtesy Moley Robotics
The world's first fully robotic kitchen was launched at Gitex. Courtesy Moley Robotics

“After multiple cycles of development and testing, we transformed the concept prototype into a complex fully functioning product that’s ready for consumer use,” the post adds.

“A talented team of more than 100 engineers from a variety of world-class robotics companies applied the latest technologies. They have been supported by a team of interior and kitchen designers who completed the look of the kitchen with a combination of stylish form and exquisite materials resulting in the final, elegant look.”

The company has announced that future updates include being able to sync the kitchen to a smartphone so that users can operate it remotely, for example, setting it to cook dinner while coming home from work.

Currently the kitchen is only available for delivery in the EU, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Norway and Russia. However, there are plans to expand to North America. It's not known yet if or when Moley will be available in the UAE.

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European arms

Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons.  Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg