What do you get when you combine artificial intelligence, real food, and students hungry for a fresh, healthy, fast snack? Bon Appétit Management Company, University of San Francisco, and 6d bytes are pleased to announce the debut of Blendid, the first fully autonomous smoothie-making robotics kiosk, which combines software, hardware, and advanced robotics to offer delicious Blends.
Since Monday, March 25, students have been flocking to the glass-walled kiosk in Market Café, operated by Bon Appétit. The stand-alone Blendid kiosk consists of a robotic arm, blenders, a refrigeration system, and numerous dispensers that store and apportion a variety of fresh ingredients including solids (fruits and vegetables), liquids (like kefir and coconut water), and superfoods (such as chia and flax). Blendid’s robot, known as Chef B, processes the orders and payment, swiftly selects and measures the ingredients, blends, pours, and serves up each customized Blend in about two minutes. A skilled multitasker, Chef B is designed to make 35-45 orders an hour (including cleaning).
The leadership team of Bon Appétit, which is based in Palo Alto, CA, and provides food service to many of technology’s household names, first met with Sunnyvale-based Blendid in 2016. “We’re always looking for innovative partners who can help us deliver a unique food experience to our guests,” says Bon Appétit CEO and cofounder Fedele Bauccio. “I knew from the beginning that Blendid’s combination of technology and healthy, good-tasting Blends could be a great fit for us, and when it was ready, for the University of San Francisco community as well.”
“We could not be more excited to work with Bon Appétit and have USF as our first location for a Blendid kiosk,” said Vipin Jain, CEO and cofounder of Blendid. “Beyond the university being right in our own backyard, the school, staff, and students also align with our values and mission by being innovative, progressive, and health conscious, as well as appreciative of positive change and the benefits of advanced technology.”
Blendid’s expert team of nutritionists and chefs have created a variety of recipes for University of San Francisco students, including:
- The Classic (vegan) — Traditional strawberry-banana flavor with no added sugar, includes flax for fiber and healthy fats. Works well as a tasty lower-calorie meal replacement or snack.
- The Foggy Don – Named for USF’s weather and athletic teams, the Foggy Don is a kale-based blend sweetened by blueberry, banana, and apple juice, with chia for fiber, and kefir for filling protein and beneficial probiotics.
- Modern Lassi – This modern interpretation of a lassi-style beverage with mango, kefir, coconut water, and agave is thirst-quenching and at only 162 calories, a light way to brighten up your meal.
Blendid has also hired several USF student ambassadors, who in the pre-opening week during Blendid’s installation answered questions from hundreds of curious students and handed out samples of Blends. The ambassadors will continue to support the kiosk by restocking the ingredients periodically and managing on-site customer service.
The Blendid kiosk in USF’s Market Hall is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers can place orders in person at the kiosk or via the Blendid app (available for iOS and Android) for a cost of $6 per 12-ounce drink.
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