A method of brewing a flash brewed coffee concentrate includes flash brewing ground coffee to brew a hot coffee extract and mixing the hot coffee extract with a frozen concentrated coffee extract to chill the hot coffee extract to a temperature less than 130° F. while increasing the concentration of the hot coffee extract to form the flash brewed coffee concentrate.

A method of recognizing a type of coffee from reference types of coffee, wherein each of the reference types of coffee is associated with a respective reference signal and wherein each type of coffee is associated to a characteristic combination of volatile organic compounds released from the type of coffee, may include: sensing, by one or more sensors, presence and concentration of one or more volatile organic compounds in a mixture of volatile organic compounds released from the type of coffee; generating a signal representative of the type of coffee according to the sensed one or more volatile organic compounds and the respective concentrations of the sensed one or more volatile organic compounds; comparing the generated signal with the reference signal associated with each of the reference types of coffee; and generating a recognition signal in response to the comparing of the generated signal with the reference signals.

A method of recognizing a type of coffee from reference types of coffee, wherein each of the reference types of coffee is associated with a respective reference signal and wherein each type of coffee is associated to a characteristic combination of volatile organic compounds released from the type of coffee, may include: sensing, by one or more sensors, presence and concentration of one or more volatile organic compounds in a mixture of volatile organic compounds released from the type of coffee; generating a signal representative of the type of coffee according to the sensed one or more volatile organic compounds and the respective concentrations of the sensed one or more volatile organic compounds; comparing the generated signal with the reference signal associated with each of the reference types of coffee; and generating a recognition signal in response to the comparing of the generated signal with the reference signals.

Provided is a device, comprising: a barrier configured to impeded or prevent particles shed by a robot in a first volume of space from entering a second volume of space in which the robot manipulates a workpiece; and a robot having three or more degrees of freedom, the robot comprising: a first portion disposed on a first side of the barrier in the first volume, the first portion comprising an actuator of the robot, the actuator being configured to drive movement of the robot to manipulate the workpiece; and a second portion disposed on a second side of the barrier in the second volume, the second portion comprising an end-effector of the robot by which the robot makes contact with the workpiece.

Provided is a device, comprising: a barrier configured to impeded or prevent particles shed by a robot in a first volume of space from entering a second volume of space in which the robot manipulates a workpiece; and a robot having three or more degrees of freedom, the robot comprising: a first portion disposed on a first side of the barrier in the first volume, the first portion comprising an actuator of the robot, the actuator being configured to drive movement of the robot to manipulate the workpiece; and a second portion disposed on a second side of the barrier in the second volume, the second portion comprising an end-effector of the robot by which the robot makes contact with the workpiece.

A method of brewing a flash brewed coffee concentrate includes flash brewing ground coffee to brew a hot coffee extract and mixing the hot coffee extract with a frozen concentrated coffee extract to chill the hot coffee extract to a temperature less than 130° F. while increasing the concentration of the hot coffee extract to form the flash brewed coffee concentrate.

A method of brewing a flash brewed coffee concentrate includes flash brewing ground coffee to brew a hot coffee extract and mixing the hot coffee extract with a frozen concentrated coffee extract to chill the hot coffee extract to a temperature less than 130° F. while increasing the concentration of the hot coffee extract to form the flash brewed coffee concentrate.

Disclosed is a process for producing a thermoformable and/or embossable particle/polymer composite using a ground particulate biological substrate S of nutrient tissue and a polymer P, characterized in that (i) the substrate S and the polymer P are homogeneously mixed, then (ii) the substrate S/polymer P mixture is converted into a particle layer, and thereafter (iii) the resulting particle layer is densified at a temperature higher than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the polymer P [Tg.sup.P] to form a thermoformable and/or embossable particle/polymer composite,
where (a) the substrate S comprises extracted ground coffee beans; and (b) the polymer P is thermoplastic and has a Tg.sup.P≥20° C. measured according to DIN EN ISO 11357-2 (2013-09).

Furthermore, a process for the manufacturing of a particle/polymer molding, a particle/polymer molding and its use as an element in buildings or in furniture are disclosed.

Provided is an alimentary-product assembling and dispensing device comprising: a plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers positioned to dispense respective ingredients in a plurality of different locations of a robotic work environment; a robot configured to receive an open-top vessel from an open-top-vessel dispenser and move the open-top vessel to the different locations to receive different ingredients from the plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers, wherein the robot comprises four or fewer degrees of freedom; and a vending aperture through which consumers retrieve vended alimentary products assembled by the robot from ingredients dispensed from the plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers.

Provided is an alimentary-product assembling and dispensing device comprising: a plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers positioned to dispense respective ingredients in a plurality of different locations of a robotic work environment; a robot configured to receive an open-top vessel from an open-top-vessel dispenser and move the open-top vessel to the different locations to receive different ingredients from the plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers, wherein the robot comprises four or fewer degrees of freedom; and a vending aperture through which consumers retrieve vended alimentary products assembled by the robot from ingredients dispensed from the plurality of alimentary-ingredient dispensers.