Singapore: An Indian couple in Singapore has invented a first-of-its-kind robot to make chapattis which raked in about $5 million Singapore in pre-sale orders from the US.
Rishi Israni and his wife Pranoti, took six years to develop the robot, Rotimatic, which can produce about one baked chapati per minute.
Rotimatic is the first kitchen device to use robotic technology and awaits US certifications required for such products for the American market. The Rotimatic shipment to the American market would commence next year.
The Isranis co-founded start-up Zimplistic for the invention, a 17-kg breadmaker type device which combines 10 motors, 15 sensors and 300 parts to produce chapatti.
Chapati making can be customised to the thickness, softness, amount of oil and type of flour.
“Zimplistic is changing the way people think about cooking by bringing them a smarter way to prepare food and customers have been extremely receptive to and excited about this concept,†said Mr. Israni in a statement.
Priced at $599 each, Rotimatic is easy to use and can clean simply as it comes with detachable dishwasher-safe components, it said.
Israni is an entrepreneur and was formerly the founder of tenCube, a Singapore-based mobile security company acquired by McAfee, while Pranoti’s expertise is in mechanical engineering and product design.Â