Stanford students reveal meal-cooking robot at Cool Expo

SAN JOSE, Calif (KGO) -- There are predictions we will have robots in our homes in the next five years or so and now we're going to show you what one might do in your kitchen.

Robotics is already the tool of choice for U.S. Homeland Security and other agencies that use it to defuse explosive devices. It has become so precise, robotics hands can remove a tiny sim card from a cellphone.

But this is the kind of robotics destined for your kitchen in a couple of years. It's a device that will dispense ingredients and cook a one-dish meal. "Cooking is something that we all do every day. We all have to eat, yet we all spend time cooking, which if you do the same meal every day it gets kind of boring. So we think we need to automate that, and now is the time," Sereneti Kitchen employee Zachary Medeiros said.

Students at Stanford's graduate school of business hosted what they call a Cool Expo to showcase what's next in technology.

Such as with virtual reality, incorporating hand movement. Grad student Vini Pecora said it heightens the immersive experience. "If you're looking at your hand move, your eye movement goes with it. You're really inside that reality, it's almost real life," Pecoral said.

Inventors haven't forgotten about your dog or cat and how technology can address their boredom and help them learn at the same time. "What we want to do is use all the power of software and smart technology to turn bored days into days of fun and learning," Clever.Pet Founder CEO Leo Trottier said.

A racing game called overdrive incorporates microprocessors and artificial intelligence so players can focus on how to beat their rivals. "They're having a very unique perspective on how to address things that everyday people in the home really need to have addressed and it's a lot of clear innovation," International Robotics spokesperson Mark Baybutt said.