STAR POURER 

The High-Tech RoboBar Out-Paces and Performs While Pleasing Patrons 

    A robotic bartender that mixes perfect drinks every time, doesn’t take tips and costs only about 30 cents an hour to operate — sounds a little far-fetched and too good to be true, right? Well, it’s certainly real, as demonstrated at last year’s Nightclub & Bar show at the Motoman booth. There, RoboBar, the tuxedo-clad, robotic star pourer dispensed mixed drinks, beer, wine and juices into souvenir cups for trade show attendees. The true story here, however, lies in the technology.  

Nice to Meet You  
    With the RoboBar entertainment model, customers first use a magnetic card to authorize service, then use a touchscreen menu to select an attractive male or female face and “personality” for RoboBar and order their beverage of choice. Male/female voice modules allow the robot to speak to customers. These verbal exchanges range from the polite, “Welcome to RoboBar, can I mix you a drink?” to teasing banter such as, “Don’t just stand there looking at me, order something!” to the flirtatious,  “If I wasn’t bolted to the floor, I’d go home with you tonight.” A new, high-production model of RoboBar by Motoman (motoman.com) that can produce a perfectly mixed drink every 10 seconds also has been created.

    So, how does RoboBar perform in a nightclub or bar environment? Even the fastest human bartender would be hard-pressed to match the pace this tech-heavy system executes, even on his or her best day. While RoboBar may not be the old neighborhood server, it never takes breaks, sick days or vacations. It also doesn’t drink on the job or dip into the till — and it’s not bothered by second-hand smoke. Little maintenance is required, as well.  

Virtually Unlimited Recipes
    In the new high-production model, the RoboBar unit uses the gripper at the end of one of its arms to pick up a glass from a rack containing a variety of glass sizes (for example, wine, short cocktail, tall cocktail and beer glasses). It adds ice, if desired, and holds onto the glass while the other robot arm, equipped with a dispensing head module, dispenses the appropriate combination of ingredients into the glass on the fly. Up to eight dispensing heads can each deliver 16 different ingredients (liquors, mixers, juices, etc.) for a total of 128 different ingredients — and virtually unlimited drink recipe combinations. RoboBar also can dispense wine or beer from taps. Ready to sober up? RoboBar has optional modules available for serving coffee and cappuccino. Well-suited for 24/7 airport bars or clubs where high-volume service is a necessity, RoboBar is adept at reliable, consistent beverage production. 

Putting on a Display
    While the original RoboBar entertainment model is ideal for self-service bars, the new RoboBar high-production model is targeted at high-volume service bar venues that use human servers to deliver drinks to customers. Instead of placing individual drinks onto a turntable that rotates them outside the robot’s enclosure for pickup by the customer, the high-production RoboBar places multiple drinks onto a tray on a shuttle. The display identifies the location of each drink on the tray.

    “Robots are fascinating to watch, and the entertainment factor alone makes RoboBar a customer magnet ... it also out-pours and out-performs, while improving profits and pleasing customers ... a big advantage in the ‘bar wars,’” says Ron Potter, Motoman’s senior director of emerging robot markets. NCB