Wendy’s has signed a deal with Google's cloud division to leverage its AI and ML tools in order to improve the restaurant experience, and one of those scenarios involves using computer vision tech to alert cooks when it’s time to flip burgers on the grill. Computer vision tech is not new to the industry and has actually been used in consumer appliances for years. For example, Samsung’s pricey fridges under its Smart Hub brand already use the tech for analyzing food items in the fridge and alerting users when they are about to expire.
Amazon is also reportedly working on a fridge of its own that will keep an eye on the food items and notify users when they are about to run out. It will also suggest recipes based on what’s available in the fridge and will serve as a convenient point for remotely shopping groceries from the company’s Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods services. In addition to appliances, computer vision plays a key role in areas such as driverless cars and is even used at Amazon Go cashier-less stores to detect the movement of items.
As part of its partnership with Google Cloud, Wendy’s will employ the latter’s analytics, AI, ML, and other cloud-based tools to modernize operations and make the experience of ordering food easier for customers. Kevin Vasconi, Chief Information Officer at Wendy’s, wants to go a step further. In comments to The Wall Street Journal, Vasconi mentioned that one of the goals is to employ computer vision technology to create automated alert systems for employees working at Wendy’s outlets. For example, the computer vision system can recognize the state of burgers placed on a grill and accordingly alert the cook when it’s time to flip them.
Making Life Easier For Customers (And Employees)
A computer vision system includes a camera linked to software with object recognition capabilities and the ability to execute a pre-programmed set of actions in certain scenarios. For example, it can be used to alert cooks when it’s time to drop fries in the fryer or warn them about a rush when the cameras detect a long line of people at the ordering windows. The scenarios are truly endless, but in the case of Wendy’s, a computer vision system will make life a lot easier for kitchen and counter staff who will no longer need to stare at a screen to analyze what’s going on and then decide what needs to be done.
Vasconi is not out ruling autonomous drone deliveries in the future either, which is not surprising, as drones are already in use for delivering medical supplies and vital aids. Following the partnership, Wendy’s will build mapping applications and voice-recognition systems using Google’s AI tools. For example, the latter will be used for receiving customer orders via phone or at drive-through windows and will then transcribe voice queries into text form in order to help improve the accuracy of orders. The company is reportedly even planning to use the voice recognition tech to identify customers, so that the restaurant can offer personalized services and anticipate orders based on what they had before.
Source: Google Cloud/PR Newswire, WSJ