Abstract: A novel food station comprises a plurality of cubbies, each cubby sized to enclose a food portion container, and an externally accessible collection hatch large enough for the food portion container to pass therethrough. A heating system can controllably heat the food portion container within a selected one of the cubbies, independently of an operation of the heating system the other cubbies. A cooling system can perform cooling within a subset of cubbies that includes at least the selected cubby. An internal transport system includes an end effector that temporarily couples to the portion container carrier of the selected cubby and controllably moves the food portion container carrier within the food station to the collection hatch. A control system includes a memory that controls the heating and controls the movement of the internal transport system.

Abstract: A novel food station comprises first and second pluralities of cubbies, each sized to enclose a food portion container, and a food collection hatch that is selectively externally accessible. A heating system can controllably heat one or more of the first plurality of cubbies independently of the first plurality of cubbies, and a cooling system can cool one or more of the second plurality of cubbies independently of the first plurality of cubbies. An internal transport system including an end effector that temporarily couples to the portion container carrier of a selected cooled cubby of the second plurality of cubbies and can controllably move the food portion container carrier to a selected heated cubby or to the food collection hatch.

Abstract: A hair dryer system includes a hands-free dryer having a base, an air flow generator that causes an air flow, and a heating element in contact with the air flow. The hands-free dryer includes a nozzle through which the air flow exits the hair dryer, and an actuator that is physically coupled to the base and to the nozzle, and that moves the nozzle in at least one degree of freedom relative to the base. The hands-free dryer includes an actuator driver circuit that drives the actuator according to a user-selected one of a plurality of stored alternative user-selectable oscillation modes. The hair dryer system also includes a user interface, optionally pertaining to a hair-styling tool, that is in communication with the actuator driver circuit. The communication identifies to the actuator driver circuit the user-selected one of the plurality of stored alternative user-selectable oscillation modes.

Abstract: A novel food station comprises a plurality of cubbies sized to enclose food portion containers, and an externally accessible collection hatch. An internal transport system uses an end effector to temporarily couple to a portion container carrier of a selected cubby, and to controllably move the food portion container carrier within the food station from the selected cubby to the collection hatch. The food station includes heating and cooling systems that selectively provide or remove heat to or from each of the plurality of cubbies independently of the other cubbies, with a heating or cooling rate, or for a heating or cooling duration, that is independently scheduled and controllable for each of the plurality of cubbies.

Abstract: A hair dryer system includes a hands-free dryer having a base, an air flow generator that causes an air flow, and a heating element in contact with the air flow. The hands-free dryer includes a nozzle through which the air flow exits the hair dryer, and an actuator that is physically coupled to the base and to the nozzle, and that moves the nozzle in at least one degree of freedom relative to the base. The hands-free dryer includes an actuator driver circuit that drives the actuator according to a user-selected one of a plurality of stored alternative user-selectable oscillation modes. The hair dryer system also includes a user interface, optionally pertaining to a hair-styling tool, that is in communication with the actuator driver circuit. The communication identifies to the actuator driver circuit the user-selected one of the plurality of stored alternative user-selectable oscillation modes.

Abstract: A hands-free motion tracking hair dryer system may include a base, an air flow generator, a conduit through which the air flow passes, and a heating element to selectively heat the air flow. The conduit may be coupled to the air flow generator and channel the air flow to an outlet nozzle, and includes a telescoping joint between the air flow generator and the outlet nozzle. The system includes an actuator that changes the length of the conduit at the telescoping joint while the air flow is passing therethrough, and a motion tracker that can sense a motion of the user. An actuator control circuit drives the actuator based on the motion sensed by the motion tracker, to adjust the conduit length in response to the motion of the user.

Abstract: A curling iron having a handle, a heated barrel rotatable relative to the handle, a spring loaded clamp, and a motor coupled between the handle and the barrel and rotating the barrel in at least one of two directions relative to the handle. A motor control switch that enables and disables the rotation of the barrel and a rotation sensor coupled to the motor control switch to sense the initial direction of rotation of the handle. A motor control circuit is coupled to the motor, the motor control switch, and the rotation sensor, and the motor control circuit causes the barrel to rotate in an initial direction after rotation of the barrel has been enabled and rotation of the handle has been detected. The motor control circuit can cause the barrel to stop rotating once rotation of the barrel has thereafter been disabled.