Robotic Bartender Assembles Your Drink, Monitors Alcohol Consumption

First time accepted submitter Sabine Hauert writes in with news about a robotic bartending system called Makr Shakr. "You're at a busy bar. You order your personalized cocktail through a smart phone app; a drink dispenser measures out the beverage according to your instructions and a Kuka robotic arm give it a shake (or stir), while another garnishes it with a slice of lemon; the made-to-order concoction is delivered to your waiting hand via a slick little ten-lane conveyor belt. The 'mixology system' tracks your order from start to finish: a large display behind the bar shows you the number of drinks ahead of yours in the queue, the current wait time, and lets you know when your drink is ready to be picked up. It also shows you what's popular to drink tonight among both the ladies and the gents in the crowd, and lets you influence drinking trends in real-time by incorporating your suggested tweaks on popular recipes."

Comments

Another job is lost.

[Anonymous Coward]

Head hanging low, the ex-bartender heads down to the welfare office to apply for the entitlement. Your cheap night at the bar is followed by an enormous tax bill.

Re:Another job is lost.

[pokoteng]

Don't think so. Although it's common to imagine a bartender as someone who just pours drinks, it's just as possible to say a programmer is someone who types stuff into a computer to do some work. It doesn't even scratch the surface of any actual professional work.

I'd say the robot would be good enough to do pre-mix drinks, for people who don't particularly care for the drink. Sort of like a vending machine. For actual bartending work involving complex cocktail production, where the bartender needs to have extremely high perception, flexibility, stability, control in mixing the drinks in just the perfect timing, temperature, amount, AND on top of that being social and friendly with ability to reply to the drinkers who sit at the bar? Nah, I think bartenders will still hold a job for a long while yet.

At least, until we get robots that pass turing test. Then we're all fucked.

Re:Another job is lost.

[Anonymous Coward]

Head hanging low, the ex-bartender heads down to the welfare office to apply for the entitlement.

Not a chance in hell. Not until they make a realistic looking cleavage on that bartender!

Re:Another job is lost.

[flayzernax]

In high class establishments or under the radar establishments that are more or less community driven yes.

At the meat market or in low class establishments. They might as well have fending machines selling whatever drugs are in vogue.

But if I was to go to a 'bar' I would be genuinely interested in meeting people who know how to order a drink vs "just give me whatever will fuck me up". Haven't seen a place like that in the states in awhile.

Re:Another job is lost.

[viperidaenz]

What if you assemble the robot out of 18/21 year old surplus equiptment?

Re:Another job is lost.

[cayenne8]

Well, I for one, do NOT welcome our robotic bartender overlords.

I like a real human bartender. One that I get to know, that knows me....at bars I'm a regular at, I like to have them set my usual drink in front of me when I sit down. I like that since I'm a good tipper...I get pretty heavily poured drinks.

I don't want anyone counting my drinks either.

How realistic can it get?

[GodfatherofSoul]

Will it pretend to ignore you while hitting on a co-ed at the end of the bar? I really won't feel comfortable unless it tries to short me change and hope I'm too drunk to notice, then give me a dirty look when I skimp on the tip.

Re:How realistic can it get?

[MichaelSmith]

Hitting on the coffee machine, maybe.

Drinks for the ladies

[Osgeld]

so how does it know that that drink you just ordered did not get handed to your new friend?

It does work... saw it at Google I/O After Hours

[billylo]

One of these systems were in action at Google I/O After Hours Party last night. Pretty neat.

Hey!

[Black Parrot]

I thought the last story said we had 30 years before this happens.

Re:Sounds Arab

[mjwx]

I think "Makr Shakr" might not be the right name for an alcoholic beverage-related product. It sounds vaguely Arabic, and the Arab world still has Prohibition.

That's OK, we're planning to sell them the militarised version of this robot, the Mastr Blastr.

That's quite a dystopia you've got there.

[__aaltlg1547]

# profanity --maximum

Jesus Christ on a stick! an iPhone app? Who the fuck wants to order drinks with a motherfucking iPhone app? What's wrong with using my god damned voice to order my fucking drinks? Who wants to know how many other drinks and in the fucking queue? Do you really think I want to know what horse piss the other doucebags are putting in their drinks?

What makes you imagine I want some machine tracking my drinking habits, much less to be made aware of it?
# profanity off

Why would I want to go to a BAR to avoid SOCIAL INTERACTION with OTHER PEOPLE?

Re:That's quite a dystopia you've got there.

[eWarz]

> Why would I want to go to a BAR to avoid SOCIAL INTERACTION with OTHER PEOPLE? Umm...to drink? I do it all the time!

Re:That's quite a dystopia you've got there.

[noh8rz10]

What's wrong with using my god damned voice to order my fucking drinks?

siri, please get me a rum and coke. OK! I have found 12 places named Rumco, 3 of which are fairly close to you. would you like me to get directions for you?

Re:Can it do a age check?

[Joe_Dragon]

but can it spot a fake ID / useing some ID who does not look like you?

Sounds like a dystopian nightmare

[electron sponge]

I prefer my drinks made by human beings, who I can thankfully tip for pouring my two fingers of bourbon to three fingers, and also show my appreciation with a smile and conversation. Anything other than a human is just a vending machine. Remember that the next time you're out, and tip generously. They don't make much money.