Gunpil HwangFounder

United States - New York, New York

Dr. Gunpil Hwang, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), is the co-founder and CEO of Aniai. During his studies at KAIST, he led the design of mixed-signal circuits and bio-inspired neural networks for 3D imaging sensors used in robots, smart factories, and autonomous vehicles. In 2013, he co-founded OBELAB, a biotech startup that developed a portable brain imaging system. Dr. Hwang has been the recipient of several technological innovation awards from Samsung, Qualcomm, and government agencies.

Aniai is a company that seeks to address the shortage of workers in Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) by creating An Intelligent Robotic Kitchen. This kitchen automates the hamburger production process in restaurants using AI and robotics, effectively shrinking a food factory into a small space that can be customized using modules. The AI system is used for food quality assurance (FQA) and correcting faults to minimize errors and downtime.
1. Employees will, at most, reload ingredients and clean the machine. Additionally, data from machines will be collected onto a Cloud-based OS where everything can be controlled remotely.
2. Monthly/annual subscription model (low initial cost/trial period)
3. In collaboration with multiple burger franchises, most notably the biggest burger franchise in Korea (~1400 stores, $1B revenue)

Aniai – Robotic Kitchen (partial automation) Demo Video: https://youtu.be/5p4JcNNVaBg