Some of us are natural-born chefs with the ability to look at a few ingredients and whip up a succulent meal, while others have the knack of being able to burn boiling water. The Cube o1: Your Personal AI Chef, is designed to guide either group towards tastier culinary shores.
A culmination of three years of prototyping from three passionate Hong Kong food tech developers, the Cube o1 is promoted as a “personal cook assistant” and provides AI-assisted instructions for home cooks wanting to confidently dive deeper and master the culinary arts regardless of their technical experience or ability. It's currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.
“We did the hard work of teaching the Cube so you don’t have to. No studying required," say the designers. "Think of it as your kitchen sidekick that’s just graduated elementary school – ready to help, easy to understand.”
Designed with touchscreen functions along with a high-definition thermal imaging system, the palm-sized device attaches magnetically to a swivel ball mount on a tripod that the user sets up to record during cooking, or it can be attached to any metal surface such as a range hood or fridge with an ideal viewing range. From that perch, it monitors the user's actions along with the temperature of the cooking surface.
The Cube o1 comes preloaded with AI Copilot software featuring autonomous decision-making and intelligent data analysis designed for chefs. The device itself is engineered to withstand steam and splatters during cooking, and is easily cleaned by rinsing under water.
Recipes are distilled into straightforward step-by-step instructions from the beginning to end via the onboard “Traffic Light UI-intuitive Guidance” system. It provides LED prompts along the lines of, “green-everything is fine, yellow-act now, and red-something is wrong.” The self-contained AI software functions directly on the device, so no constant internet connection is necessary.
Professional chefs aren’t left out of the equation either, as the Cube o1 can be an aid in helping create new recipes and reduce the amount of fine-tuning needed to perfect an original creation. Every move during cooking is recorded, and the data is converted into an easy-to-follow recipe that is suitable for sharing.
Because no cook is an island, users can also upload recipes to share on the Cue Chef Club app with other aspiring cooks worldwide, as well as discover other recipes to experiment with. Even better would be preserving the iconic creations of soon-to-be-retired restaurateurs during these last few days of food service, as sadly so many businesses are closing either due to retirement or economic hardship.
If everything works out, a pledge of HK$1,390 (about US$179) will get you a package that includes a Cube o1 with a tripod, ball mount, telescopic rod and charging cable. That's 60% off the planned retail price. Deliveries should commence next month.
Sources: Kickstarter, Cue Chef
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