Digital gastronomy testcase: A complete pipeline of robotic induced dish variations

Digital Gastronomy (DG) is a research territory exploring the integration of computational technologies in the kitchen, seeking a human-centered practice in DG, rather than replacing the chef with a machine. Our work highlights the creative potential of computers in the kitchen, presenting an in-depth investigation on the DG Variations principle (one recipe with infinite instantiations), demonstrated on a robotic induced noodle soup project. We contribute a new, complete DG cooking approach of an end-to-end restaurant pipeline, and evaluate the technical feasibility of the process, including: (1) a custom multi-resolution paste 3D printer that overcomes the slow printing time of prior paste printers; and (2) a novel interactive graphic Dish Design application to parametrically plan 3D printed noodles; all demonstrated using a new printable noodle paste and a special soup recipe. We discuss the technical outcomes and performance of our proposed DG pipeline using a comparison study on printing performance, and present chefs’ reflection on the concept of design and control of segregation using GUI and a robotic paste printer, leading to general insights for the future of DG.