In context
In late 2025, the retail sector was accelerating its adoption of automation and AI to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. Supermarkets had experimented with self-checkout and warehouse robots, but autonomous cooking in-store was uncharted territory, making this launch a notable milestone for physical AI in retail.
What was reported
Circus SE, a developer of AI robotics for autonomous nutrition, announced the launch of “Fresh & Smart” at a REWE Region West store in Düsseldorf Heerdt. This marks the world’s first integration of AI-powered autonomous cooking robotics inside a supermarket, with the CA-1 Series 4—Circus’ first serially produced autonomous cooking robot—preparing restaurant-quality meals live and on-demand.
Main dishes are priced from €6 and available to all in-store customers. The CA-1 platform uses predictive models to optimize demand, ensure efficiency, and minimize food waste, delivering consistent quality and precision. REWE Region West, responsible for western Germany, is among the global launch partners of the CA-1 Series 4, positioning REWE as a frontrunner in in-store automation.
This first location is one of three pilot sites, with additional locations already in planning and construction. REWE Group operates over 16,000 locations across Europe, making this a significant testbed for autonomous cooking in retail.
Why it mattered
This deployment demonstrated the feasibility of physical AI in everyday retail environments, moving beyond back-end automation to customer-facing robotic services. For industrial automation, it signaled a shift toward scalable, autonomous systems that can operate in unstructured public spaces, potentially influencing broader adoption in food service and other service industries.
“With ‘Fresh & Smart,’ autonomous robotics becomes part of everyday life – enabling fresh, high-quality food access through technology that’s both scalable and sustainable.”
Source: Robotics & Automation News (roboticsandautomationnews.com) · Published 2025-10-30 · “Shoppers at REWE can now order hot meals cooked live by Circus robots”