Watch: Bengaluru’s 24x7 ‘idli-vending ATM’ goes viral

A video of an idli vending machine in Bengaluru has been doing rounds on the internet. A startup business named Freshot Robotics runs the "idli ATM," which works by reading a QR code.  A Twitter user, B Padmanabhan shared the video online and wrote, "Idli ATM in Bangalore."  In the video, the user explains how the Idli vending machine functions. The order can be placed by scanning the application code and paying online. Along with idlis, vada and podi idlis were also available on the vending machine. The video shows that the idli was prepared and packed in recyclable packaging and served along with chutney and sambar.

Sambar and chutney are served alongside the idli as complementary sides. The prototype can make 72 idlis in one cycle and is compatible with many toppings. The Freshot Robotics team estimates that while the idlis cook for 10 to 12 minutes, the machine needs 18 to 20 minutes to pour the batter and clean itself. According to a statement by the Freshot Robotics team, "For a business, two Idlibots and a chutney-sambar bot are deemed optimal, costing a total of roughly Rs 30 lakh. The bot can prepare up to four different types of idlis at once, including plain, palak, carrot, and millet variations." It further added that the machine had a built-in vada dispenser.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, the founder Sharan Hiremath got the idea in 2016 when his daughter was unwell and he couldn't buy hot idlis for her late at night. Three years later, he began working on a prototype with Suresh Chandrashekharan, a mechanical engineer with product design experience. While the product's debut is scheduled for April 2, 2023, anticipation has already taken over the internet after the video went viral.

Idli ATM in Bangalore... pic.twitter.com/NvI7GuZP6Y

— B Padmanaban (padmanaban@fortuneinvestment.in) (@padhucfp) October 13, 2022

One user wrote, “Solution of the problem which does not exist” and another wrote, “Nice idea...Much needed stuff… Specially in North where street vendors don't kNow how to make good idlis.”