"The Era of Robot Chefs in School Cafeterias Begins"... Busan Office of Education Introduces Multifunctional Cooking Robot for the First Time

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Kim Seokjun) announced on September 13 that it has installed and begun full-scale operation of a multifunctional cooking robot, capable of frying, stir-frying, and making soup, in school cafeterias for the first time in the Busan and Gyeongnam region.

This initiative is expected to protect the health of kitchen staff from harmful substances that may occur during the cooking process and to reduce the burden of physically demanding work.

On the afternoon of the same day, the Office of Education held a demonstration event for the 'Busan-type multifunctional cooking robot' at Geumjeong Elementary School in Geumjeong-gu, with over 100 participants including members of the city council’s education committee and representatives from robotics companies. The actual cooking process was presented to the public. Attendees sampled food prepared by the robot and directly assessed its performance.

Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, and other officials are observing a demonstration of a multifunctional cooking robot. Provided by Busan Metropolitan Office of Education

In May, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education was selected as the final candidate for the '2025 Service Robot Demonstration Project' organized by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement. The office secured a total project budget of 670 million won, including 250 million won in national funding. Subsequently, multifunctional cooking robots combining electric pots and robotic arms were installed at three schools: Geumjeong Elementary School, Namil High School, and Busan Physical Education High School.

The newly introduced 'Busan-type cooking robot' can automatically perform three processes-frying, stir-frying, and making soup-in conjunction with an electric pot. It is expected to significantly improve the cooking environment at large schools with many students or at schools that serve two to three meals a day.

Superintendent Kim Seokjun stated, "Introducing advanced technology into school cafeterias goes beyond simple automation; it is significant in that it provides students with healthy and safe meals and prepares for the future educational environment. We will continue to support improvements in working conditions for kitchen staff and provide high-quality meals to students."

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education is holding a demonstration of a multifunctional cooking robot and taking a commemorative photo.

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