'Robot Meals' Coming Soon... Busan Office of Education to Deploy Cooking Robots in School Cafeterias

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Kim Seokjun) is set to embark in earnest on innovating the working environment of school cafeterias by introducing cooking robots.

On June 19, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it had been finally selected for the '2025 Service Robot Demonstration Project' supported by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, securing a total project budget of 670 million won, including 250 million won in national funding.

This project goes beyond simply replacing machines and focuses on demonstrating the effectiveness of improving the work environment in actual schools by utilizing robots. The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education expects that the introduction of cooking robots will reduce cafeteria workers' exposure to hazardous substances and lower the intensity of cooking tasks.

The robots to be introduced are multifunctional electric cooking robots capable of handling three processes: frying, stir-frying, and soup preparation. These will be operated as the 'Busan-style cooking robot' model, in combination with the electric pots that the Office of Education has been actively distributing.

This demonstration project will be carried out in the form of a consortium between the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education and Korea Robotics Co., Ltd., and as early as the second half of the year, cooking robots will be deployed first at three schools in the district. The Office of Education plans to finalize its agreement with the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement in June, conduct on-site inspections at the selected schools, and then proceed in earnest with the project.

Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "The introduction of cooking robots in school cafeterias is more than simple automation; it will be a significant turning point in protecting the health and safety of cafeteria workers," adding, "We will continue to pursue various innovations to improve the cafeteria environment."

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.