Rossum's Children

A brilliant young high school grad from Arlington Washington has created a robot that makes waffles--No, strike that--a roboticist has invented a robot that prepares waffles, complete with butter, syrup and whip cream.

His invention is one part industrial robot and one part Rube Goldberg machine, complete with multiple stages. According to the article he even used knowledge of agricultural mechanics somewhere in this process, though we are almost hesitant to muse about the exact purpose.

The robot appears to use frozen waffles and take them through the entire process, though the article isn't clear about whether the robot might also serve you these waffles, or whether there is an optional mode where the syrup is poured perfectly into each hole with the precision of which only an automaton is capable.

The most remarkable quote from the article, for its powerful "out of context this could be awkward" factor, is this quote from the young inventor during his interview.

"I just added whipped cream for the fun of it," [Jesse] Klein said.

Indeed Jesse, but don't we all?

Waffle-making robot a hit[Heraldnet]