Most of us have eaten food prepared by machines, said David Marchese in New York magazine. But Moley, a new, hulking robotic chef, promises something far beyond prepackaged, industrial food: "a high-quality meal made from scratch and cooked at home." The robot — a pair of humanoid arms that hover over a conventional stovetop — is designed to cook dishes by mimicking the filmed movements of human chefs.

(Courtesy of Moley)

In Moley's current version, culinary skills are still a bit limited. Ingredients and tools have to be laid out in predetermined places. But U.K.-based Moley Robotics says that in the future sensors will allow Moley to adjust to layout changes and that it will do prep work. So far, the prototype also knows only one recipe: a fairly tasty crab bisque. Moley is expected to go on sale by 2018 for around $100,000. "By then, it will make other dishes, presumably."