A U.S. soldier waits for a robot-cooked meal on November 28 at “Market 19,” an automated dining facility installed at Camp Walker of the U.S. Army’s 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Nam-gu, Daegu. The facility, the first automated dining hall in the U.S. Army, will operate on a trial basis for six months starting this month.
DAEGU, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The U.S. Army’s 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command on Thursday unveiled what it described as the first fully automated kitchen demonstration in the U.S. military, holding a pilot showcase at the Camp Walker dining facility in the southern city of Daegu.
During the event, soldiers ordered meals from a touchscreen kiosk while robotic cooking units prepared dishes such as bibimbap, kimchi fried rice and budae jjigae. The robots followed preset recipes programmed by the base’s culinary team, producing dishes in repeated, standardized cycles.
Human cooks and food-service personnel continued to handle ingredient preparation, food-safety checks and menu oversight, the command said.
The pilot program is aimed at improving consistency, efficiency and quality control in military dining operations, according to U.S. Forces Korea. Officials emphasized, however, that the technology is not intended to replace human culinary staff entirely, but to augment kitchen operations and reduce workload.
The demonstration marks the latest effort within the U.S. military community in South Korea to test emerging automation technologies.
Image credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
