---
title: "This Hot Dog Cooking Robot Is the Beginning of the End"
description: "Remember back in December, when Boston University researchers taught a pair of large robotic arms to autonomously cook hot dogs? Now, new video shows the bots in action — expertly working together to grill the franks and park them in rolls. Tragically, the bots still don’t seem to know about condiments. Real World […]"
date: "2020-02-18"
modified: "2020-02-18"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hot-dog-cooking-robot-is-the-beginning-of-the-end"
categories:
  - "Robot Dogs"
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "food"
  - "hot dogs"
  - "robotics"
  - "the digest"
---

# This Hot Dog Cooking Robot Is the Beginning of the End

![New video shows a pair of Boston University bots in action — expertly working together to grill hot dogs and park them in rolls.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/hot-dog-singularity-robotic-arms.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Boston University\</em\>*

## Look, Dave, I Don't Do Ketchup

Remember back in December, when Boston University researchers [taught a pair of large robotic arms](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/robot-hot-dogs-cook-serve>) to autonomously cook hot dogs?

Now, [new video](<https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/machine-learning-robots-who-cook-hot-dogs/>) shows the bots in action — expertly working together to grill the franks and park them in rolls. Tragically, the bots still don't seem to know about condiments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etiMGiStO30

## From Dogs to Diagnoses

The researchers say the technology has applications far outside the world of dubious meat logs — they hope that the same machine learning they developed to identify the wieners could be used to "identify cancerous spots on mammograms" or interpret "spoken commands to play music."

No word yet on whether hot dog artisans fear for their livelihoods — though, if they do, it'd be more bad news for an [already-grim day in Chicago](<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/us/politics/trump-pardon-blagojevich-debartolo.html>).

**READ MORE:** [Meet Jaco and Baxter, machine learning robots who cook perfect hot dogs](<https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/machine-learning-robots-who-cook-hot-dogs/>) \[Boston University\]

**More on hot dogs:** [*Finally, a Smart Robot That Can Cook and Serve Us Hot Dogs*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/robot-hot-dogs-cook-serve>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)