A method and system are provided for automatically portioning workpieces, such as food products, by simulating portioning the workpieces in accordance with the one or more desired shapes of the final piece(s) as a directly controlled physical characteristic (parameter/specification) as well as one or more resulting indirectly controlled physical characteristics (parameters/specifications). The desired shape(s) of the final piece(s) are defined by a plurality of manipulatable reference coordinates. A workpiece is scanned to obtain scanning information, then portioning of the workpiece is simulated in accordance with the desired shape(s) of the final piece(s) defined by the directly controlled reference coordinates, thereby to determine the one or more indirectly controlled physical characteristics of the one or more final pieces to be portioned from the workpiece. The simulated portioning of the workpiece is performed for multiple combinations of directly controlled shapes as defined by the modified or edited reference coordinates and indirectly controlled physical characteristics until an acceptable set of a directly controlled shape and resulting one or more indirectly controlled physical characteristics is determined.

A master controller programmed to execute a recipe, stored in computer memory, for a finished food product, prepared from a plurality of raw ingredients; a raw ingredients storage unit controller controlled by the master controller and programmed to control a mechanism for getting the plurality of raw ingredients for the recipe; a cleaning controller controlled by the master controller and programmed by computer software to control one or more cleaning devices configured to clean one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients; a manipulator controller programmed to control one or more devices which physically manipulate one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients by one or more of grinding, mincing, peeling, cutting, and rolling one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients; and a heater controller programmed to control one or more heating devices to heat one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients.

A mobile cooking-and-ingredient-supply system includes a vehicle, a data-storage device, a cooking module, an ingredient-supply rack, first-ingredient-supply modules, an ingredient-replenishing station and a computing device. The data-storage device stores a food-preparation plan associated with a food preparation location, a preparation time, and an ingredient for preparing a food product. The cooking module is configured to prepare the food product based on the food-preparation plan. The first-ingredient-supply modules are carried by the ingredient-supply rack. The ingredient-replenishing station carries second-ingredient-supply modules to meet with the vehicle and replenish one of the first-ingredient-supply modules. The computing device is configured with computer-executable instructions based on the food-preparation plan, automatically causes the ingredient-replenishing station to prepare one of the second ingredient-supply modules based on the food-preparation plan, and automatically selects meeting time and meeting location based on the food-preparation plan, for the vehicle to meet with the ingredient-replenishing station.

An eating aid robot and a method performed thereby are provided. The robot comprises an arm capable of engaging an eating tool at an end of the arm. The arm is moveable to move the eating tool horizontally and vertically, wherein the arm is configured to be positioned with the eating tool in at least two vertical levels. The robot is connectable to a maneuver device which sends a signal to the robot, wherein the arm follows a cycle of different vertical and horizontal movements and pauses when the arm is kept still with the eating tool in at least one of the vertical levels. The method comprises receiving the signal from the maneuver device, and selecting a subsequent movement and/or pause of the cycle for the arm based on in which of the movements or pauses of the cycle the arm currently is when receiving the signal.

A method and system are provided for automatically portioning workpieces, such as food products, by simulating portioning the workpieces in accordance with the one or more desired shapes of the final piece(s) as a directly controlled physical characteristic (parameter/specification) as well as one or more resulting indirectly controlled physical characteristics (parameters/specifications). The desired shape(s) of the final piece(s) are defined by a plurality of manipulatable reference coordinates. A workpiece is scanned to obtain scanning information, then portioning of the workpiece is simulated in accordance with the desired shape(s) of the final piece(s) defined by the directly controlled reference coordinates, thereby to determine the one or more indirectly controlled physical characteristics of the one or more final pieces to be portioned from the workpiece. The simulated portioning of the workpiece is performed for multiple combinations of directly controlled shapes as defined by the modified or edited reference coordinates and indirectly controlled physical characteristics until an acceptable set of a directly controlled shape and resulting one or more indirectly controlled physical characteristics is determined.

A system for controlling a robot by brain electrical signal, includes a screen, an electronic signal detection device, and a host computer. The screen shows a plurality of icons thereon, and the plurality of icons flashes at different frequencies. The electrical signal detection device detects brain electrical signal when one of the plurality of icons is stared. The host computer stores a plurality of personal reference parameters corresponding to the plurality of icons of the screen. The host computer processes the brain electrical signal to get parameters of use, and compares the parameters of use with the plurality of personal reference parameters to choose and execute the icon which is stared.

A system for controlling a robot by brain electrical signal, includes a screen, an electronic signal detection device, and a host computer. The screen shows a plurality of icons thereon, and the plurality of icons flashes at different frequencies. The electrical signal detection device detects brain electrical signal when one of the plurality of icons is stared. The host computer stores a plurality of personal reference parameters corresponding to the plurality of icons of the screen. The host computer processes the brain electrical signal to get parameters of use, and compares the parameters of use with the plurality of personal reference parameters to choose and execute the icon which is stared.

Systems, methods, and articles for gathering and utilizing individual and aggregate data from connected cooking devices, online recipe databases and/or mobile applications. Cooking instructions may be stored as processor-readable cooking programs that use mutable real time status updates as input. Such programs may be chosen via a user computing device and may be further parameterized by numeric, textual or camera-based inputs. Various methods may be used to determine what foods a user is preparing, and what equipment and techniques are used. This data may be supplemented with feedback to verify what was cooked, how the result compared to visual representation in advance of cooking, and satisfaction level. The data may be used to reproduce past cooking results, adjust future recipes, suggest recipes or products, or connecting users to online communities of users. Cooking data may be used to offer just-in-time problem solving, products, or connection to other users.