Innovation

Hex on the beach: Get ready for the robot bartenders

By // November 11, 2015, 7:22 AM PST // nickjheath

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  • Bots at the bar

    It may not listen to your troubles but this robot bartender can whip up pretty much any drink you ask for.

    The creators of the Makr Shakr say the bar's pair of robot arms can prepare more alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks than you could consume in a lifetime, about one Googol's worth (10 to the power 100) of beverages.

    Makr Shakr

  • Mixing it up

    The bar's robot arms can do almost everything a bartender can, except dispense potted wisdom: from shaking a Martini, to thin-slicing a lemon garnish, to mixing a mojito.

    This portable, pop-up version was serving visitors at the Microsoft Future Decoded event in London this week, with the arms pouring about 120 drinks per hour.

    Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Optics everywhere

    An app allows partygoers to create and name their own recipes, summon their favourite drinks from their order history and rate and comment on each other's creations.

    To avoid spillages and create a more pleasing spectacle, the makers claim the robots movements were modelled on the gestures of Italian dancer and choreographer Marco Pelle of the New York Theatre Ballet.

    Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Pouring one out

    The automated bar is equipped with pretty much everything needed to serve drinks: ice machines, soda and juice dispensers, lemon cutters and cup dispensers.

    Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • A high tech tab

    On the outside of the bar are four high-brightness LED walls that show real-time information on current orders, queue time and other stats.

    The machines, which are available to hire or buy, can already be found in the wild, with a Makr Shakr running a bar on board the Royal Caribbean ship, the Quantum of the Seas.

    Makr Shakr

  • Drinks delivered to your hand

    These black conveyor belts deliver the finished drink to the bars on either side of the cube.

    Drinks can be ordered from an app running on iOS, Android or custom tablets, while favourite flavours can also be shared socially.

    Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Staying fresh

    To prevent drinks being tainted by flavours from previous cocktails, the mixer is cleaned out between orders.

    Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Bots at the bar

It may not listen to your troubles but this robot bartender can whip up pretty much any drink you ask for.

The creators of the Makr Shakr say the bar's pair of robot arms can prepare more alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks than you could consume in a lifetime, about one Googol's worth (10 to the power 100) of beverages.

Makr Shakr

Related Topics:

Innovation Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Internet of Things Smart Cities Hardware

By Nick Heath

Nick Heath is chief reporter for TechRepublic. He writes about the technology that IT decision makers need to know about, and the latest happenings in the European tech scene.