Thailand Creates Robot That Tests Thai Food Authenticity

Thailand is apparently so tired of bad restaurants that the government has created a robot that can scientifically determine the authenticity and quality of a Thai dish. According to the New York Times, Thailand's prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra came up with the idea for the contraption that will eventually standardize the "art of Thai cuisine," after experiencing one too many bland restaurant dishes.

The Thai Delicious Committee, a government agency created for this task, eventually came up with "an intelligent robot that measures smell and taste in food ingredients through sensor technology in order to measure taste like a food critic." So does this mean that Thai food critics will be out of a job? Not quite, as the robot looks to objectively identify the balance of spices in, say, a proper green curry, rather than subjectively critique a dish.

Thai people agree that food authenticity is much more of a problem overseas where traditional ingredients (tamarind and Thai galangal), and familiar tastes (five-alarm spicy mixed with sweet, sour, and salty), are seriously lacking.

Restaurants who pass the authenticity test can attach a Thai Delicious logo to their menus, or they can purchase the machines themselves for the equivalent of $18,000 USD each.