WellSpan Health Deploys and Invests in Robotic Kitchen

An increase in the use of robotics is likely coming to a hospital near you soon. Nine-hospital WellSpan Health just announced it is rolling out a robotic dining system at WellSpan York Hospital in Pennsylvania. 

The health system said the AI-powered kitchen expands access to hot, healthy food choices for patients and employees, offering 24/7, on-demand food service and ensuring fresh meal availability regardless of time of day.

WellSpan said that the new Fresh Take Eatery addresses a capacity gap at the hospital by effectively doubling dining capacity during peak periods. At just 400 square feet, it occupies a fraction of the space that would be required for a traditional kitchen expansion needed to serve the 10,000 people on campus every day. The system’s capabilities include autonomous ingredient storage and retrieval, precision cooking, automated plating and serving and self-cleaning functionality.

Fresh Take Eatery was developed in collaboration with RoboEatz and ABB Robotics. It marks the first deployment of RoboEatz’ Autonomous Robotic Kitchen (ARK) technology in a healthcare setting nationwide. WellSpan, ABB Robotics and Aramark are also investors in RoboEatz.

“Our articulated robot arm at the heart of ARK handles ingredients with the dexterity of a trained chef while maintaining the consistency and traceability that healthcare environments demand,” said Jose Manuel Collados, manager of Product Line Service Robotics at ABB Robotics, in a statement. 

The new facility complements existing dining options and can produce hundreds of made-to-order fresh meal combinations, including pasta dishes, bowls and salads. Featuring four cooking modules that can prepare food simultaneously, Fresh Take Eatery uses the same local ingredients  featured in WellSpan York Hospital's cafeteria, with WellSpan dietitians involved in menu development to support healthy eating options. The system can store and manage up to 80 fresh ingredients, enabling hundreds of customized meal combinations while reducing food waste through precision portioning and demand-based preparation.

“At WellSpan, our commitment to adopting new innovative approaches stretches beyond clinical care to benefit our visitor and team member experience,” said Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N., president and CEO of WellSpan Health, in a statement. “The launch of Fresh Take Eatery exemplifies our human-centered approach to solving operational challenges. As early adopters of technology to support the strategy of exceptional healthcare and personalized service, WellSpan is leading the way and living the legacy of innovation embedded in our community's DNA, making this launch a natural evolution of our region's technological heritage.”