There are many reasons robotics companies fail. From an ill-conceived idea to poor execution or the inability to raise funding, building and running a sustainable robotics company is challenging. This is never a fun recap to write. We don't want to see startups fail, but inevitably many do. The last couple of years have been especially difficult thanks to a global pandemic, economic uncertainties and ongoing supply chain issues.

DoorDash is shutting down Chowbotics, a subsidiary of the company that produces the Sally robot. The new was first reported by OttOmate and independently confirmed by The Robot Report. The Chowbotics website has been changed to only show the image at the top of this article. The Robot Report reached out to DoorDash for comment on the sudden closing. "We have decided to cease operation of the Chowbotics business, effective August 31st, 2022," a spokesperson said.

HAYWARD, California – Robots that can cook -- from flipping burgers to baking bread -- are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers. Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. The robot, dubbed Flippy, is made by Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics. White Castle and Miso have been discussing a partnership for about a year. Those talks accelerated when COVID-19 struck, said White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson.

Last month, Chowbotics announced the worldwide availability of Sally 2.0, an updated version of its robotic salad dispenser. The Hayward, Calif.-based company called Sally "the world's first fresh-food robot" and said Sally 2.0 has a larger tablet display, a new user interface, wheels for greater portability, and redesigned canisters to reduce the time needed to clean and refill it. Chowbotics introduced Sally last year, and it is in use in more than 70 locations. The award-winning robot can handle up to 22 ingredients in numerous custom combinations in addition to pre-programmed recipes. Sally is available for purchase or on a monthly basis.

Chowbotics is packing up Sally the salad making robot and sending it off to college. Well, many colleges actually, as the food robotics startup is set to announce next week a bigger push into the higher education market. Chowbotics told us that this school year, students at multiple colleges and universities in the U.S. will be able to buy salads and breakfast bowls from Sally the robot. Those schools include: Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH; College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA; the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada; Elmira College in Elmira, NY; the University of Memphis in Memphis, TN; and Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. These schools join Marshall University in Huntington, WV, which installed Sally in 2018.

Sally the salad-making robot has arrived, and she may be the next big thing that can satisfy your customers' hunger for food-service automation. The creation of Redwood City, CA-based Chowbotics, Sally is a programmable robot that is about the size of dorm refrigerator. Using proprietary robotics technology, Sally can dispense and accurately measure 21 different healthy ingredients, including romaine, kale, seared chicken breast, Parmesan, California walnuts, cherry tomatoes and Kalamata olives. She mixes and dispenses the ingredients, while maintaining a precise temperature control. The foodie robot can craft 1,000 unique salads, all while the customer watches.

Not realizing how many toppings are being added to your salad can make a once healthy meal more fattening than a hamburger. Now, a California-based firm has developed a robot that dispenses measured quantities of more than 20 ingredients and offers precise caloric counts using proprietary technology. Named Sally, this salad-making robot is capable of building more than one thousand types of ready-to-eat salads in about 60 seconds. Sally dispenses measured quantities of more than 20 ingredients to create ready-to-eat salads - and offers precise caloric counts using proprietary technology. Consumers simply place their bowl in the salad dispensing area and select different options on a large touch screen positioned on the front of the machine.