Rotimatic is an automatedkitchen appliance that makes flatbread. It was invented by Indian-origin couple Pranoti Nagarkar and Rishi Israni in 2008. Rotimatic uses machine learning to make bread and takes about a minute to make one roti. It was first shipped in 2016, and is currently available in seven markets. The worldwide retail price of Rotimatic is US$999. As of October 2018, it has generated a revenue of US$40 million.
History
Rotimatic was invented by Indian-born Pranoti Nagarkar and Rishi Israni. Nagarkar is a mechanical engineer and Israni studied computer science. The couple's company, Zimplistic Pte Ltd., was incubated in Singapore, and won a business plan competition there in 2009. Rotimatic is the flagship product of their company, which is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Rotimatic was initially planned to launch in 2012, but was shipped in 2016 in United States and Singapore. As of April 2018, it is available in a total of seven markets including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates. As of April 2018, Zimplistic had raised around US$45 million through four rounds of venture funding. According to Zimplistic, Rotimatic generated a revenue of US$40 million in the fiscal year 2017-2018 by selling nearly 40,000 machines, with pre-order sales generating US$5 million.
Concept and design
To make roti, the user adds portions of flour, water, oil, and any additional ingredients into designated compartments. After selecting the thickness, softness, and oiliness, the user presses a button, and the machine then makes dough, flattens it, and cooks the roti. Rotimatic can bake around 20 rotis starting from full compartments. Rotimatic uses machine learning so each machine takes some time to make good bread; they are also connected to the internet for software upgrades. It takes about a minute to make one roti after the machine has been fully heated up which takes more than five minutes. Weighing around 18 kilograms and measuring 16 by 16 inches, it has 15 sensors, 10 motors, and 300 parts. The worldwide retail price of Rotimatic as of April 2018 is US$999; a high end bread machine cost around $170 at that time. Rotimatic is manufactured in Malaysia.
Reception
Mashable called Rotimatic the first robotic roti maker. It further added that Zimplistic claims that one Rotimatic roti costs roughly five cents. A store-bought roti would cost around 40 to 50 cents. Engadget reviewed it as "the world's most expensive flatbread maker". Gizmodo called Rotimatic as "one of the smartest kitchen appliances around"..
