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Linux-Based Bar-Monkey
An anonymous reader writes "The Bar-Monkey is a bar built around a 486 running linux that can dispense an 8 ounce mixed drink in under 10 seconds. It uses a Matrix Orbital Serial LCD panel with a keypad built into the bar surface for user input. Three Harvey Mudd College students built the bar in their spare time last semester. The bar holds 16 ingredients with which it can currently mix 188 drinks stored in its drink database. Total project cost: $235."
Since the user would get all their drinks from the machine, it could generate a report on what a user's BAC is likely to be (x number of drinks over y amount of time, adjusted to body weight). It could flash this info the the user everytime they buy a drink, so they know if they're going to be over the legal limit for driving or if they're getting close to dangerous levels. Hell, the barmonkey could even cut people off.
"I'm sorry, the Monkey says you've had enough, dude."
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
This is awesome! This has plausable commercial implications. How nice would it be to goto a bar and not have to worry about tipping someone, you just slide your credit card or insert your money and select your drink and you get it in 10 seconds. If I owned a bar I would consider it.
You obviously haven't spent enough time in a bar, and have never been a bartender. Bars don't sell liqour - they sell socialization. You already have a self-service bartender, it's called your home liqour cabinet. Most humans go out becuase they want to socialize. They like talking sports with Jeff behind the bar, or flirting with Suzy the cocktail waitress.
Any bar using these would loose revenue quickly. I've been a bartender, and I can tell you this - a good tender, or a good staff can easily double or triple a bar's income. A bad one can drive customers away. A good bartender makes customers feel good... so they stay and spend more money. If that bartender makes a good enough impression, they might keep coming back and doing so on different nights. A bad bartender makes people go elsewhere. So you can have your robot bar, but I'll stick to my old-fashioned, human charisma driven service model. And come Friday night, I bet my bar will be the one that's packed.