The Most Important Robot of the Day

Do you often find yourself running short on time in the morning? If so, you are in good company. The blaring of an alarm clock is one of the most universally hated noises in the history of the world. Not only does that awful sound mean it is time to climb out of your soft, warm bed, but it also means getting ready for the day, catching up on emails and the news, and all of the other things that you have to do, but would most decidedly rather not do. No wonder we delay so much in heeding the call of our alarm clocks.

And on top of it all, adding insult to injury, you need to make breakfast to give you the energy you need to do all of these things that you do not want to do. Making breakfast was the straw that broke the camel’s back for YouTuber Gregulations. He had had more than enough of this morning business and was not going to take it any longer. Channeling his inner Twisted Sister, Gregulations did the only logical thing one could do, and built a breakfast-making robot called the Autochef-9000 so that he would not have to take it anymore.

Seeking inspiration, Gregulations looked to some classic examples from Hollywood. There is Doc Brown’s dog-feeding machine in Back to the Future, for example. Or perhaps more relevant is the elaborate breakfast-making machine featured in one of the greatest films of all time, Pee-wee's Big Adventure. But there is one thing that these machines have in common — they are not real. Sorry to have to break that to you if you were unaware (you have noticed that orange juice is being squeezed from an orange foam ball in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, right?).

But Gregulations was determined to bring something like these fictional machines into reality. He reasoned that the best platform for such a device would essentially be a CNC machine — something like a programmable drill, lathe, or 3D printer — that is adapted to cooking and serving food. As for the requirements, Gregulations wanted the machine to be automated, so that it could start cooking breakfast before he woke up, and he also wanted it to be able to make a variety of foods. He decided eggs, toast, sausage and beans would be a good combination.

The design consists of four separate CNC machines, one for each type of food, integrated into a single case about the size of two or three microwave ovens. In total, the machine has 12 axes of motion to move bread through a toasting and buttering station, boil an egg, cook sausage, and pour cans of beans. A sliding, rotating plate sits at the bottom of the Autochef-9000 to catch and arrange food items as they are prepared.

An Arduino Mega 2560 development board serves as the brains for the system, and a touchscreen allows hungry users to specify how they would like their breakfast prepared.

Gregulations noted that it was a lot of work to get the machine up and running, but says that it was all worth it to have a hot breakfast waiting in the morning. It was a big hit with his whole household. He said that his wife loves it so much that she generously gave him a full three months to get out of the house. With high praise like that, you are probably ready to get to work on your own Autochef-9000. Check out the video below for some tips to help you on your way to a better start to the day.