'Sushibot' Makes 300 Sushi Rolls Per Hour

What would Jiro Ono say about the newest craze in sushi? We can only imagine his horror, but we're still intrigued by the sushi mass-producer. From the Suzumo producer, "SushiBot" literally clumps together rice to make the perfect rice pallet for nigri sushi  and makes a roll from scratch — rice, seaweed, and fish — in 12 seconds. That's 300 rolls per hour.

Sound crazy? Wired assures that it's just a part of a growing trend in sushi; while gourmet sushi chefs like Ono (the subject of Jiro Dreams of Sushi) will most likely pass on the machine, joints like supermarkets, sporting venues, schools, and hospitals are likely to get one. And companies like Robotic Sushi are already making similar products, as franchises look to create standardized sushi rolls. The real question is, will these machines replace the traditional sushi maker? Wired points out the advantages, including no tired muscles after a long day of sushi-making. But interestingly, the machine still needs a human touch to complete the roll; people place the fish on top of the rice beds — so maybe it's not quite the robotic food delivery machine (or Tacocopter) we hoped for.

In short, Suzomo states its aim is to "to precisely recreate the handmade taste and technique used by an experienced sushi chef." We have a hard time believing a machine can truly replace the personal touch of a sushi chef — but it is cool to watch. Check out the machine in action below.