Robot chefs will soon be cooking meals for customers in Beijing after being granted the first food service license of its kind by the authorities, marking a milestone for the catering industry in the Chinese capital.
EncoSmart, a local robotics startup, received this approval from the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation on Sept.12.
The company's Lava series robots will be deployed at catering kitchens across the city to prepare foods such as French fries and fried chicken.
The robots are empowered by state-of-the-art visual perception technology to recognize ingredients and calculate optimal cooking times, promising to deliver fast, consistent, and high-quality meals to customers. Their self-learning capabilities also allow them to adapt and expand their culinary skills over time.
The robot chefs are expected to not only reduce costs and improve efficiency, but also standardize food processing and meet diverse taste preferences of consumers.
City authorities have worked with EncoSmart to introduce new rules needed to regulate the robot work and ensure food safety and hygiene, and will take further steps to set a standard for the AI-powered catering industry.
Beijing grants first catering business license to robot chefs
Beijing grants first catering business license to robot chefs
Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.
"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.
The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.
"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.
"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.
To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.
"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.
"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.
"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.
Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration
