https://doi.org/10.20965/jrm.2014.p0809

Sushi Robot: Robotic Technology that Supports Culture

Sushi Robot: Robotic Technology that Supports Food Culture – Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd. –

JRM staff writer

1. Introduction

The sushi robot (Fig. 1) developed in 1981 by Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo and founded in 1961, is the world’s first robot to form sushi rice balls (shari-tama). Hand-rolled sushi, a traditional Japanese invented during the Edo period (1603–1867), was originally expensive and served only on special occasions made by sushi chefs who had undergone long years of training. The sushi robot broke the convention of requiring expe- rienced sushi chefs by automating sushi making and en- abling those who were comparatively unskilled to make sushi. It cut labor costs,1 which were higher than those for other types of food services, and helped make sushi more accessible to the general public. Sushi robots are now widely used, e.g., in supermarkets and conveyor-belt sushi , making it possible for anyone to serve sushi economically. Sushi is now available world-wide and internationally accepted. As sushi’s popularity has grown in Asian coun- Fig. 1. Latest sushi robot, SSN-FLC [3]. Courtesy of tries, overseas demand for sushi robots is expected to rise, Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd. and efforts are being made to improve sushi robots enough to make sushi balls of a texture approaching that created by a trained sushi . able. It thus became widely used in supermarkets and 2. Sushi Robot Development conveyor-belt restaurants to produce sushi cheaply and compactly. In the early days after its founding, food-machine maker Suzumo Machinery developed and marketed of confectionary-making devices. Manufacturing and mar- 3. Performance keting machines that automatically filled bean-jam wafers (monaka), a popular Japanese confectionary, and that pro- The latest sushi robot – the SSN-FLC – (Fig. 1)isjust duced inverted sugar syrup, a substitute for honey, an 35.0 cm wide, 58.3 cm high, and 47.5 cm deep. Despite expensive luxury item, Suzumo established itself as a its compact profile, it processes 3.6 liters of rice at once manufacturer of confectionary-making equipment. In the and forms 4,300 rice balls an hour [3] compared to an av- 1970s, the Japanese government began reducing rice pro- erage sushi chef’s maximum 600 pieces of sushi an hour, duction because of the large rice surpluses resulting from making the sushi robot seven times more productive. Japan’s increasingly Western – and non-rice- – diet. Let’s look at how sushi is made. Vinegared rice is first Suzumo founder and president Mr. Kisaku Suzuki became placed in the sushi robot, where it is loosened to mix in concerned and developed the sushi robot to increase rice air and then placed in rice molds to form rice balls. These consumption [1]. Five years in development, the world’s are sent to a rotating tray and dispensed. Mixing in air first sushi robot (Fig. 2) was commercialized in 1981. De- helps create a rice texture similar to that made by a sushi spite the lingering consumer belief that sushi should be chef. The sushi is then completed by personnel who place made by a sushi chef, widely popular department store sushi toppings on the rice. Efforts are now being made and tasting events made the sushi robot accept- to have sushi robots make gunkanmaki – literally “battle- ship roll” – that holds topping in place with a “belt” of 1. The average cost for the entire food-service industry is about 30%, com- nori (seaweed) and norimaki – sushi, which is wrapped in pared to just 40–50% among conveyor-belt sushi restaurants [2]. completely in nori.

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.26 No.6, 2014 809

© Fuji Technology Press Ltd. Creative Commons CC BY-ND: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/). Acknowledgements The author extends sincerly appreciation to Mr. Hiroshi Onodera, Sales Promotion Division of Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd. for his cooperation in making this report and providing photos in this report.

References: [1] Insight of Top Management, Vol.81. [2] Nikkei Shimbun, November 8, 2013. [3] Suzumo Machinery Co. Ltd. http://www.suzumo.co.jp/products/rolledsushi/ [Accessed March 24, 2014] [4] Shinkokigyo Navi (emerging company navigator), Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun, January 24, 2014.

This report is cooperated by Fig. 2. Sushi robot model No.1. Courtesy of Suzumo Ma- Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd. chinery Co., Ltd. 2-23-2, Toyotamakita, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 176-0012, Japan Tel: +81-3-3993-1407 4. Future Prospects URL: http://www.suzumokikou.com/

Despite other sushi robot manufacturers entering the market, Suzumo retains a 60–70% market share. Sales are good at 7.3 billion yen annually and operating earn- ings of 1.03 billion yen for the fiscal year ending in March 2014 [4]. As a result of the current overseas boom in Japanese food and sushi, sales are growing among Japanese restaurants, supermarkets, conveyor-belt restaurants, etc., abroad. Sushi robots have now been sold in 65 countries at 1000 robots sold annually overseas. Suzumo places high priority on its overseas business, and expects to ex- pand sales to 100 countries [4]. With sushi chefs difficult to find overseas, improperly served sushi has resulted at times in an unfortunate perception. By making it possi- ble to serve sushi properly and cheaply, sushi robots are expected to promote the correct understanding of sushi. Developing robots suiting local customs – rice vari- eties, the use of ingredients such as avocado and pineap- ple, and different ways of rolling sushi – will contribute to sushi’s popularity and creativity in coming up with new sushi styles. The sushi robot’s role in promoting Japanese culture overseas is thus expected to be significant indeed.

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