I can’t say that I’ve ever truly considered the benefits of working side by side with a Cobot, but then I don’t manage a commercial kitchen, I only write about them. Tim Smallwood FFCSI creates a powerful argument for considering their worth in his look at the future of automation and robotics in the kitchen. According to Smallwood, Cobots – collaborative robots that can operate safely in conjunction with humans to perform equivalent tasks – will become increasingly prevalent in the past. A long-term investment, perhaps – although some automated solutions can be simple, flexible, and cost-effective – but also a very tangible answer to addressing the (very human) labor crisis in hospitality and foodservice. Cobots can replace tasks we can neatly summarize as “the four ‘Ds”: dirty, dangerous, dear (expensive), and dull (or demeaning). They certainly have their place and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing this trend increase apace this decade. Speaking of trends, this week also sees another regular columnist, Marius Zürcher, reviewing the hospitality industry trends he predicted one year ago to see which ones he got right (not an easy feat in the middle of a, well, unpredictable, pandemic). He also looks ahead to key 2022 trends. Zürcher also spoke cogently on this topic at this week’s FCSI EAME Autumn Summit. Meanwhile, if you haven’t caught our latest Innovation Spotlight panel on the changing demands of commercial kitchens, it’s an excellent watch and worth 34 minutes of your day. Otherwise, a final shout to ask all FCSI Professional members to please take five minutes to fill in this Foodservice Consultant survey Thanks so much in advance. Source: Foodservice Consultant.