The worst part of working in any restaurant could soon be eliminated after a robot capable of washing the pots has been invented by a US-based start-up.

Although there are more than half a million people employed as dishwashers in the US alone, the job is poorly paid, gruelling work and has a high-turnover rate.

But now Dishcraft, based in Silicon Valley, is hoping to tackle these issues with their automated dishwasher, reports CNBC.

The system currently works by using bowls and plates that have metal pieces attached to them, but the founders, Linda Pouliot and Paul Birkmeyer, hope to move on to other items in the future.

The robot then picks up the plate using a magnet before hanging them above a food scraper

HOW DOES THE DISHWASHING ROBOT WORK? Dishcraft's robot currently only works with plates and bowls the company develop themselves as it has metal pieces attached to the bottom and are much stronger than other dishware. Workers place a stack of plates into a slot, where the robot picks up each one before hanging them above a food scraper which removes any leftovers before rinsing away the rest of the dirt using recycled water. The robot uses cameras and sensors to detect when the plate has been cleared. It then stacks the newly-cleaned dishes for a member of staff to take to a sanitiser to remove any germs before they can be used again. They used hours of time-motion studies in commercial settings to perfect their technique. The firm has not developed their own sanitiser as they are already used as standard in many restaurants. Advertisement

Workers place a pile of dirty plates into a container that is monitored by the robot. Once it reaches a certain level, a light turns on to let workers know they should take them over to the dishwashing machine.

There, the robot picks up the plates with magnets and uses a rubber scraping tool to remove any food chunks, before rinsing off the rest with recycled water, using cameras and sensors to make sure the dish is actually clean.

The robot then stacks the plates for another member of kitchen staff to take over to a sanitiser to remove any remaining germs.

Entrepreneur Ms Pouliot decided to develop a dishwashing robot after realising there was a gap in the market thanks to the boom in eating out.

Explaining the decision in a blog, Ms Pouliot said: 'As a serial robotics entrepreneur and someone who loves restaurants, I want to see them and the people within them thrive.

'For me, the challenges within the food service industry present some of the most exciting, impactful examples of how automation can help provide solutions for an industry.'

Start-up Dishcraft have developed this robotic dishwasher. The process begins when a member of restaurant staff wheels over a stack of dirty plates and bowls

To ensure every plate is cleaned properly, the firm has developed sensors and cameras to detect remaining dirt

After cleaning, the plates are stacked so that another member of restaurant staff can take them to a sanitiser

Its developers, Linda Pouliot and Paul Birkmeyer, hope to move on to other tableware in the future. It removes all excess food and then uses recycled water to clean the rest

Ms Pouliot spent plenty of time washing up in restaurants herself to develop the robot, and even used 'hundreds of hours of time-motion studies in commercial dishrooms'.

It seems the idea is already popular with restaurants, with Ms Pouliot adding: 'Robots do not call off, robots don't take breaks, and robots do not take vacation.'

Now the company make sure every person they hire has a stint dishwashing - as do all their investors.

So far, the firm has raised $25million in venture funding.