Efficiency or enhancement? The robot-barista revolution
Fans of efficiency over service might be eagerly awaiting the influx of automated robotic assistants that look set to take place of vast portions of our workforce in the coming decades.
The coffee industry could see yet another shake-up, where automatic bean to cup coffee machines have seen an increase year-on-year at convenience stores, busy canteens and more, we could soon see robot baristas taking the place of humans on our high street.
But that’s in the distant future right? Not quite.
Coffee often means something: an opportunity to catch up with friends, relax and watch the world go by, get some work done using the coffee shop free wifi. For those situations, it’s awesome to be able to sit and relax in the surrounds of a ‘proper’ coffee shop or cafe.
Cafe X is, of course, a bit different.
There are no baristas, no judging glances as you order a half-and-half. It barely even qualifies as a cafe.
It’s simply a rounded kiosk with white on the bottom. Oh, and with a glass panel so you can see the so-called ‘future’ of baristas in action.
Not exactly designed for much ‘interaction’, you simply order via an iPad and watch the articulated robo-arm grab a cup from the cup dispenser and proceed to place it under the nozzle of the bean-to-cup machine within the kiosk.
This is where those focussed on sheer speed will be delighted, 20 seconds and your robot server will have a fresh coffee ready to your specifications.
It’s not just the speed either, you do have choice. Three kinds of beans, syrup or no syrup, and of course, you can choose exactly what speciality drink you can think of.
Cafe X could be the beginning. It could be a much more common sight around the world, currently there are only two Cafe X locations — in Hong Kong and San Francisco.
The thing is, these robo-replacements apparently make surprisingly tasty coffee, and it starts at just $2.25 in the States.
Maybe we could see a machine revolution in the very near future…