PHILADELPHIA –
Back in December of 2021, the Monarch dining facility at Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California, was the first in the Department of Defense to acquire “Alfred, the salad robot.”
Alfred is an automated food preparation robot designed to improve production and quality of operations, reduce food waste and lower risks of viral and microbial transmissions.
The first acquisition was made possible through a partnership between Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, DLA Research and Development, and the Food Service Operations component at Travis Air Force Base.
“The future of the [DLA] supply chain will rely on automation and innovative solutions to improve how we conduct our current and future business with the military services,” said Strategic Material Sourcing Group Division Chief Jacob Slotnick with the DLA Troop Support subsistence branch.
Before Alfred started working in the Monarch dining facility, the groundwork to make the employment possible happened in early 2020 after Dexai Robotics competed—alongside other U.S. small businesses—to explore their technological potential through a Small Business Innovation Research federal research and development program.
Assets like Alfred are treated as equipment per the needs of the Food Service Operations component and maintenance and service plans are established for the Air Force to pay annually in the case of Travis Air Force Base.
In working with the Air Force and their facilities, there are various challenges to ensure that Alfred continues to improve performance and efficiency in how it produces salads.
“One of the challenges is keeping individuals engaged in the process when it’s still quicker for a human to make the salads,” Slotnick said. “We have been working with the Army and the Air Force to help test Alfred at different locations.”
Performance improvements are currently implemented and being tested in the software of Alfred at Dexai Robotic’s Boston headquarter location with the possibility of upgrading the software of Travis’ Alfred on the horizon.
More locations are being explored in coordination with DLA Troop Support for future deployment of Alfred to include: Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia; Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), North Carolina; Fort George G. Meade, Maryland; Travis Air Force Base, California; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
Future deployment of Alfred to Fort George G. Meade is planned for third quarter 2023.
In addition to delivering Alfred, DLA Troop Support coordinates in-person and virtual upgrades to the robot’s software.
There is also a possibility that assets like Alfred will be involved in the production of items other than salads.
“Alfred currently supports the military services to produce salads and—in the future—some other food items,” Slotnick said. “This helps the military services with their food operations at their dining facilities to help reduce costs and increase efficiencies.”
The federal SBIR program funds a diverse portfolio of startups and small businesses across technology areas and markets to stimulate technological innovation, meet Federal research and development needs, and increase commercialization to transition research and development into impact.