Out of the ordinary: tasting robot

A state-of-the-art tasting robot may transform quality and safety checks. Papero, a 60-com robot developed by NEC, is fitted with infrared spectroscopic technology and a processor and software. It can identify foods, list their ingredients and give advice of health-related issues. Papero can be used to conduct safety and quality checks on packaged food and drinks before they leave the plant. The spectrometer fitted on the robot's left arm emits a beam of infrared light onto objects placed up against it. The robot then analyses the light to determine the chemical composition. Thanks to its preloaded software, the robot can distinguish between different types of cheeses, meat products and breads and pastries. Papero is also a wine buff: it can distinguish between various types of wine.