Flippy the robot is now cooking up burgers near L.A.; is this the end to the short-order cook?

Flippy, a robot hamburger flipper, has been installed by a California burger chain as the answer to employees who can't stand the heat in the kitchen. PASADENA -- The Caliburger chain can't keep burger flippers employed -- they quit too often, it says. So the plan is to try something new: A robot that has been programmed to flip hamburgers all day long. Named Flippy, the $100,000 machine is capable of flipping as many as 2,000 burgers a day. As of Monday, a human at Caliburger's restaurant here is making the burger patties and seasoning them, and then placing them in a tray for the robot.