Use of robotics in gourmet kitchens I don't know if this question is relevant here, or if it should wait for the upcoming Robotics Proposal, but I'll ask it anyway.

Chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adrià are known for appropriating various high tech pieces of equipment from labs and industry, and using them in their kitchens. I was wondering if any of them use robotic systems in the kitchen. I imagine that robotics would allow increased repeatability, reduced cost, and the ability to do things that would be very difficult for a human to do accurately or quickly, such as decorating food in novel ways.

By 'Robot' I mean something which has the ability to make controlled coordinated movements, on at least two axes, and manipulate the external world. This definition would not include things like bread makers or dishwashers, no matter how smart.
The simple answer is YES!  There are a number of chefs currently experimenting with the implementation of robots in their kitchens.  There are various technologies and the research is on several fronts, including what I think is most interesting which is controlling nutritional values for specialized diets.  Food printing is where I am seeing most chefs focusing their attention.

One of the first examples is actually just a concept design called Cornucopia by Marcelo Coelho: http://web.media.mit.edu/~marcelo/cornucopia/

I started a site to document these developments which are currently unfolding.  For example, Paco Morales is experimenting with Food Printing in his kitchen: http://robotsingastronomy.com/food-printing-at-restaurante-paco-morales/

There are several other examples I hope to add to the site soon.  It is really an exciting field!