Dexai Robotics, Inc. SBIR Phase II Award, September 2021

Dexai uses hygienic robot arms to automate food preparation activities, starting with the assembly of prepared ingredients commonly found in buffet or salad lines. Dexai's solution significantly reduces health risks for military personnel and food consumers, without compromising on taste or quality. Dexai’s plug-and-play solution consists of a commodity robot arm adapted to kitchen cleanliness standards, machine vision algorithms to recognize ingredients, and machine-learning based manipulation policies to pick and scoop those ingredients. For each item, the robot, nicknamed Alfred, automates the assembly process end-to-end: Alfred autonomously picks a container, attaches the required utensil (thus satisfying ServSafe allergy requirements), locates the required ingredient based on its live video feed, picks the ingredient with the allocated utensil, and places an accurate portion into the appropriate food container. Alfred then repeats this process for all other ingredients in the order, before finally placing a lid and label on the finished meal. Under this program, Dexai will extend the robot’s supported ingredients to include coverage for all meals of the day and a variety of ingredient types. Specifically, Dexai will develop support for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks (e.g., yogurt-based meals), including food types of different texture (e.g., hummus, chicken, soups), temperature, and delicacy (e.g., herbs, a single chicken breast or salmon fillet). In addition, Dexai will develop new features to maximize the utilization of the robot by enabling a wider range of food preparation activities. Relevant examples include batch portioning, mass-production mode (e.g., for grab-and-go meals), on-the-fly menu roll outs, and plating in container of different shapes and sizes. To do this, Dexai will further develop its artificial intelligence and machine learning models, building support for new types of food ingredients and different holding conditions and containers. Moreover, Dexai will leverage state-of-the-art controls algorithms and computer vision techniques to enable Alfred to perform the required complex kitchen tasks. Furthermore, Dexai will develop a user interface allowing kitchen staff to access all features and easily switch between configurations, menus, and tasks. During this Phase 2 effort, Dexai will retrofit and install 2 robots at the Scott Air Force Base and develop a deployment plan to automate all other military dining facilities. At the end of this effort, Dexai will have deployed 10 robots at several different dining facilities, deliver a report detailing the new supported ingredients and features, and provide a plan for further deployments at other military dining facilities.