Hey, Robot, Let’s Have Another Round

High-tech bartender-barista is serving up drinks in Shanghai.

August 13, 2018

SHANGHAI, China – A robot is tending bar and making coffee drinks for patrons of the Ratio Café in Shanghai, according to Trendwatching.com.

The robot, which has been described as an “arm,” was introduced in June to work alongside human wait staff as it prepares hot and cold drinks to each customer’s specifications.

Customers pre-order and customize their drinks down to a precise measurement and then pay for the beverage via a phone app. Then, they wait as the robot grinds coffee beans or pours shots as required. When the drink is ready, it is delivered to the patron by a human waiter.

The robot also can remember individual drink orders in anticipation of customers’ next visits to Ratio and will recommend drinks it thinks they might enjoy based on your tastes.

Ratio Café is intended to be a restaurant during the day and a bar by night. Five more robot servers are scheduled to appear in Shanghai restaurants before the end of 2018.

The 2019 NACS Convenience Summit Asia in Shanghai will feature a visit to Ratio to see the coffee-by-day, cocktails-by-night robot mixologist. For more information on the 2019 NACS Convenience Summit Asia, see www.convenience.org/CSA.

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