This Smart Cooking Robot Is All Of Your Essential Kitchen Gadgets In One

Every day, we get closer to a reality where robots can do all of our chores. There are robot vacuums handling the floor cleaning, robots that can do laundry and other physical tasks, and, believe it or not, all-in-one smart cooking robots that stand in for a master chef. Xiaomi's aptly-named Smart Cooking Robot is strange-looking compared to conventional robots. There are no arms or head; it's more of a standalone machine. It has a big pot-like reservoir with a touchscreen, all attached to a stylish base. But it's equipped with a ton of features that allow it to cook for you. 3D induction heating technology will warm your food, while a motor and internal components empower up to 35 functions.

Perhaps more impressive, it's controlled by Xiaomi's "CookingIoT" intelligent cooking algorithm. The system can reliably select cooking temperatures, cooking times and stir speeds per dish across hundreds of recipes. Moreover, it can simulate the movements of tasks like making stir fry in a wok, gently whipping cream with a beater and grinding beans or solids into fine powder. You drop your ingredients and condiments in the pot — the screen gives precise measurements — then let it do its thing. It can make up to three dishes and one soup in a single go, enough for a small family. It sounds futuristic and almost too sci-fi to be true, but it's real, and there are even alternatives, such as the Thermomix TM6. The price is currently £899.99 or around $1,200 USD, although it's not officially sold in the U.S., so you may have to import it if you want one. 

They don't cook for you, but if you want a conventional bot, there are a few other cool robots you can pick up at Costco, no international shipping necessary.

According to Xiaomi's product page, the 35 functions the Smart Cooking Robot can handle effectively replace a variety of appliances you might have, either tucked into cabinets, resting on the countertop or in a pantry. Some of the obvious devices it mimics are a slow cooker, rice cooker, multi-purpose electric kettle, induction cooker, and a soup maker. But it can also handle a ton of nuanced functions, as well. It's a low-temp food processor that has built-in timers and can also be used as a kneading machine, meat mincer, fermentation machine, vegetable washer, and even a voice assistant.

Inside the base, a high-power switched reluctance motor produces the power needed for tasks like grinding, kneading or stirring. It offers a range of speeds from 40RPM up to 12,000RPM, the highest speeds for the toughest tasks like grinding. The 8-inch touchscreen display shows you ingredients, measurements and cooking steps. You follow along after selecting a recipe, out of over 200 options, dropping everything into the main pot. It then handles the prep and cooking, and when it's all ready, you eat.

Unfortunately, there are no public reviews or comments to draw from, though you can find a spate of influencer-based reviews and videos. The lack of user information seems to be because it's not available in the U.S. through official channels. Of course, the Thermomix TM6 is available at various retailers in the States. There was also the Chefee Robotic Chef from Shark Tank, which may eventually become available. If you don't mind some manual cooking tasks, something like the Dreo ChefMaker can be a game-changer for easy food prep in the kitchen.