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This article was published on August 27, 2020

This AI makes peanut butter and banana sandwiches that are fit for the King

The system was created by data scientist Ethan Rosenthal


This AI makes peanut butter and banana sandwiches that are fit for the King Image by: Bianca J

An AI has solved one of life’s greatest challenges: how to make the optimal peanut butter and banana sandwich.

The system was created by Ethan Rosenthal, a data scientist at Square based in New York. Rosenthal began the project just after coronavirus cases had hit their peak in their city.

“I set out to work on something completely meaningless,” he wrote on a blogpost.

Rosenthal already had considerable experience with PB and banana sandwiches. He’d first been introduced to the delicacy as a child by his grandfather, and has been assiduously refining his sandwich-making skills ever since.

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Rosenthal realized that AI could take his technique to a whole new level. But the project proved to be more complicated than he’d anticipated.

[Read: 4 ridiculously easy ways you can be more eco-friendly]

To identify precisely where the banana should be sliced, Rosenthal used a clever combination of computer vision and algebra. Next, he used an algorithm to calculate the best location on the bread for each slice. He then fed the system an image of his ingredients and let the AI do its magic.

Credit: Ethan Rosenthal

Rosenthal has kindly put an installable version of the system on GitHub for anyone who wants to optimize their own sandwiches.

Just feed the system a photo of your ingredients, and the AI will calculate the perfect arrangements of your banana and bread. Now I just need it to teach me how to spread this damn peanut butter.

HT – Inside AI

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