Here's another video of the sushi bot in action.

Sushi is a combination of two different Japanese words, Su and Shi. Some claim that the words represent "sweet" or "sweet vinegar" and rice, while others point to differention translations that refer to "the skill of the hand" and "vinegar."

However, most translate it as "seasoned rice" or "sweet rice."

In short, any small food item which incorporates rice cooked and seasoned using the Sushi method is considered Sushi, regardless of what fish or meat (raw or cooked), or vegetables are included.

Dont want to seem pedantic here but why does that qualify as a robot?

Hmm yeah. Usually I go with "it's a robot if people say it's a robot 'cos that's how language works." Alternatively, it's a robot 'cos it's Japanese... More quaintly it'd be a robot as it is designed "to do the work of a man" but that dff is a bit archaic, not to mention sexist.

Traffic lights were originally known as "robot traffic signals" - I think they may still be called that in South Africa? The word "robot" used to be used much more freely for automated machinery, when the fact that a machine could do the task seemed extraordinary... What of this sushimachine? I'm very disappointed.

I know that making sushi is a very skilled process. If this bit of kit (in its lovely bamboo-bucket skin) spewed out lots of different finished rolls we'd have to debate it, but as it is the bloke seems to have to do most of the work. The "bot" seems to just be a very sweeeet rice press, fantastically smooth to watch, but a robot??? Unless pressing the rice into the cakes is a lot more complex than I think, then I'm sceptical too, and I'm very inclusive usually...