Wandelbots No-Code-Robotics for the Bakery of the Future

7 March, 2023

Do you have a sweet tooth? So do we! Whether it's a juicy strawberry cake with artful decorations or a decadent red velvet cupcake with Stracciatella frosting, Wandelbots is developing new solutions for the food and bakery industry.

Pinecone Automation with Wandelbots Teaching in action

In collaboration with Danish system integrator Pinecone Automation, a new application for decorating cakes, cookies, and other sweets is in the pipeline. The goal: to develop an automation solution for the food and bakery industry and to open new markets.

About Pinecone Automation

Pinecone Automation is a system integrator based in Herning, Denmark, specializing in automating the food and bakery industry. Founded in 2022, Pinecone is an expert in everything related to collaborative robotics and OEM system integration. With a team of 15 industry veterans, Pinecone implements smart and easy-to-use automation solutions.

The Challenge

The worldwide shortage of skilled workers continues to be a growing concern for many verticals, and the food and bakery industry is no exception. Vacant jobs are difficult to fill, and the number of apprentices is in steep decline. The tough work environment and early working hours are causing many skilled workers to look elsewhere. Companies, therefore, need to develop new strategies to remain competitive in the future.

This is precisely why automated processes, such as Wandelbots’ solutions, become increasingly important. While robots easily perform heavy physical work and take on monotonous tasks, employees can engage in more varied and less strenuous work. Once automation is set up, humans and machines can safely work together. However, the implementation of robotic processes is usually very complex: Experienced developers must program each step in a process for the robot to be operational.

Automating the decorating stage of baked goods presents other challenges: A robot has difficulty performing many different activities. This is due to the nature of materials used (which are often viscous - such as icing or frosting), different dosing units, and difficulty replicating the delicate hand movements of bakers and confectioners.

How Wandelbots Teaching Helped

Together with Pinecone Automation, Wandelbots has developed an application specially tailored to the needs of bakers and confectioners: The TracePen is connected to a hose that pipes viscous materials into the desired design. This allows the robot to record and copy precise, delicate hand movements as well as bakers and confectioners. When people and machines work in tandem, the result is an optimized process that allows bakers to increase their output without losing the integrity of their confections. The end consumer receives a product that is the same quality as handmade because the robot has been trained by a human.

Wandelbots has also developed an attachment for the TracePen that duplicates the tools commonly used by bakers and confectioners. The hardware for the MVP was provided by Pinecone Automation and its partner Unifiller Europe.

As mentioned above, the standard robot implementation is very complex, requiring experienced developers to program individual steps. Further, high costs and a lack of skilled personnel are slowing down the pace of automation. This is exactly where Wandelbots comes in with its "Robots for the People" mission: The no-code solution, Wandelbots Teaching, is an easy-to-use platform that is software and hardware agnostic. Different robot models from different manufacturers are taught in the same way. Moreover, users are enabled to teach robots independently without any programming knowledge.

Facts & Figures

1 + 1 = ∞

Infinite Possibilities! Humans and Machines Work Together Optimally

1 Team

Pinecones' Industry Veterans + Wandelbots' No-Code Experts

1 Goal

Wandelbots Technology for the Bakery of the Future

What Pinecone Says About the Success

"Looking for a solution that works much easier than anything we've known before, we came across Wandelbots. Wandelbots no-code solution manages to accurately record and replicate the delicate hand movements of bakers and pastry chefs. If we succeed in what we set out to do, it could be the turning point for an entire industry." Martin Riis, Partner @ Pinecone Automation

This is What Wandelbots Teaching Has Changed

The Wandelbots approach transforms bakers and confectioners into robotics experts in no time at all. Companies save time and money and actively counteract the shortage of skilled workers.

With the new application, robots can record and copy precise, delicate hand movements, which are crucial in the art of decorating baked goods. When people and machines work in tandem, the result is an optimized process that allows bakers to increase their output without losing the integrity of their confections. The end consumer receives a product of the same quality as handmade because a human has trained the robot.

What happens next? The experts at Wandelbots are currently testing and refining the new system. The system is to be completed and handed over in the summer of 2023 to the first customer - a Norwegian bakery chain - which intends to use the system to decorate cakes.

For more information about PineCone Automation, click here.

PineCone video

Keywords:

Innovation SME