Jack in the Box will try having robots flip burgers

Jack in the Box has decided to join the automaton-loving ranks of White Castle and Chipotle by experimenting with robots in its restaurants.

Details are light, but a press release from Miso Robotics says that the companies will participate in a pilot test that will place Miso’s fast food robot specialist, Flippy 2, in a Jack in the Box location in San Diego, CA.

Flippy and Sippy — Miso’s robots will fill in on repetitive frying and drink-pouring tasks, with the ultimate goal being employees “spending less time at the fryer and drink stations and more time in front of customers,” according to the announcement.

Ultimately, Flippy 2 and its drink counterpart Sippy are limited in scope. They’re faster than a regular employee, and take up less space than the typical fry or drink setup, according to Miso Robotics, but they’re not nearly as flexible.

Fear of automation — There’s still reason to be concerned that more and more companies are interested in using technology to replace jobs that would normally be held by human employees. It just really seems like robots are not going to be the way that happens, at least for now.

It’s not clear where this partnership will go beyond this pilot, but there are “possible plans for further integration in the months ahead.” I’m also not sure why Jack in the Box is being so coy about which Jack in the Box location in San Diego will host Flippy and Sippy.

I’d gladly eat curly fries made by the robot, Jack in the Box!