Sony  has entered into an agreement with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics research. Initial research and development efforts will focus on optimizing food preparation, cooking and delivery.

For this project, researchers will focus on defining the domain of food ordering, preparation, and delivery. Initially, they will build upon existing manipulation robots and mobile robots, and will plan on developing new domain-specific robots for predefined food preparation items and for mobility in a limited confined space, says Sony.

Depending on the needs of the consumer, food offerings and preparation methods could be adjusted based on personal dietary restrictions and the availability of certain ingredients. Food could be delivered to the home or office, and dining tables could be set as well, according to Sony.

In addition to this current project, Sony says it plans to continue supporting CMU’s AI and robotics-related R&D efforts and startups through its Seed Acceleration Program (SAP), Sony’s business incubation platform, as well as the Sony Innovation Fund, a corporate venture capital fund.

This research will take place primarily at CMU’s School of Computer Science in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For Sony, Dr. Hiroaki Kitano will serve as project lead.

 [Image courtesy: Sony]