Robots serving ramen…

At the “Fua-men” (pronounced FOO-ah-men) ramen noodle shop in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, two robotic arms busily serve their hungry customers, doling out nearly 80 bowls of noodles on a busy day.

“The benefits of using robots as ramen chefs include the accuracy of timing in boiling noodles, precise movements in adding toppings and consistency in the taste and temperature of the soup,” said Kenji Nagaya, president of local robot manufacturer Aisei.

Nagoya’s robot factory opened the noodle shop less than a month ago to showcase the latest robotic technology.

The noodle shop, which sells a regular noodle bowl with a pork broth-based soup for the equivalent of 7 dollars, is yet to make a profit, partly due to the large investment in the research and development of the robotic arms.