OnionBot | Python API

A collaborative computational cooking robot using computer vision built with Raspberry Pi

Python logic and recipes for automatic cooking

See it in action on YouTube

About

The OnionBot sous chef can:

• Automatically proceed through a complete pasta with tomato sauce recipe
• Advance through instructions hands-free, using image classification
• Autonomously control pan temperature using PID feedback control
• Detect when the pasta is boiling-over and turn down the heat!
• Remind you if you haven’t stirred in a while, preventing your food from burning!

This simple recipe functionality only scratches the surface of what could be possible in the future with machine vision!

Recipe example

An example of how the sous chef can use image classification to provide assitive functionality with a pasta boiling recipe.

System structure

API.py API for showing recipe steps (messages) on screen and controlling recipe progress

main.py Read recipes from files and walk through steps, sending commands to the main OnionBot-API

recipes/* Store process, model and screen message information on a recipe-by-recipe basis

Known issues

• This code is a proof of concept only for using OnionBot-API for recipe automation - it is hacky and buggy
• Special functionality is hard coded into the main file, would be much neater to plug addons in via config files
• Only 2 recipes tested so far

TODO

• Test more recipes!
• Refactor to make code actually safe for human viewing

The OnionBot idea was developed through a research project at Imperial College London

Check out the paper for technical details in much more depth!

OnionBot: A System for Collaborative Computational Cooking - ArXiv

Interested in building a cooking automation robot?

Get in touch!