Bratwurst-Cooking Robot Is a Feat of German Engineering

A new feat of German engineering takes the term "sausage party" to a whole new level: a bratwurst-grilling robot.

The BratWurst Bot (why not just BratBot?) recently made its debut at an event for the German government in Berlin; armed with a gas grill and a set of tongs, Popular Science reports its robotic arm grilled and served sausages for 200 people.

According to FZI, the sausage robot is completely autonomous: Guests placed their orders via tablet and "the ordered bratwurst appeared in a queue on the tablet with the name of the guest and the remaining preparation time" so they could see how much longer they'd have to wait for their food. Another tablet served as an animated "face" for the chef, complete with a wiggling mustache and capable of speaking appropriate catchphrases such as "heiss und fettig" (literally, "hot and greasy").

As some restaurants in China have recently discovered, robots aren't that great at more delicate tasks like serving customers or refilling water glasses — but in addition to perfectly grilling sausages, they also make a mean bowl of ramen. Meanwhile at MIT, engineering students built a robot kitchen that cooks and serves food in the dining hall.

Watch the sausage robot in action, below:

• Watch a German Robot Grill Sausages to Perfection [Popular Science]

• Autonomous Grilling Robot Fascinates Guests at Stallwächter Party [FZI]

• Watch Ramen-Slinging Robots Prepare Bowls in Just 90 Seconds [E]

• More Robot Coverage [E]