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Which would make the better robotic chef; a machine shaped like a person, or something more specialized?

"...But an android cook would go nuts because man's body isn't enough. I've cooked; I know. So we'll give the usuform more. For instance, give him Martoid tentacles instead of arms. Maybe instead of legs give him an automatic sliding height adjustment to avoid all the bending and stooping, with a roller base for quick movement. And make the tentacles functionally specialized. (Usuform robot from 'Robinc' by Anthony Boucher) "Half your time in cooking is wasted reaching around for what you need next. We can build in a lot of that stuff. For instance, one tentacle can be a registering thermometer. tapering to a fine point - stick it in a roast and - One can end in a broad spoon for stirring - heat resistant, of course. One might terminate in a sort of hand, of which each of the digits was a different-sized measuring spoon. And best of all - why the nuisance of bringing food to the mouth to taste? Install taste buds in the end of one tentacle. "I'll bet I know why android cooks were never too successful. Nobody ever included the Verhaeren factor in their brains."

Technovelgy from Robinc, by Anthony Boucher. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1943 Additional resources -

See the references for usuform robot and the Verhaeren factor to find out why this robot would be a better cook.

See also the robot cook from Lester del Rey's 1938 short story Helen O'Loy.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Robinc
  More Ideas and Technology by Anthony Boucher
  Tech news articles related to Robinc
  Tech news articles related to works by Anthony Boucher

Robot Chef-related news articles:
  - CIROS Robot Makes Your Salad
  - AIC-CI Cookingrobot Chinese Robotic Chef
  - Robot Chef Makes Octopus Balls
  - Robot Chef Learns By Demonstration
  - B21 Kitchen Robot Shares Cooking Tips With Other Bots
  - Robot Prepares Pancakes For Breakfast
  - Robots Should Replace Cafeteria Ladies, Say Students
  - Robots Mix, Flip Pancakes Made From Scratch
  - Robot Roommates Shop For, Prepare Breakfast
  - Noodle-Shaving Robot Army Invades China

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