robot bartender

Robot Bartender: More money for nightclubs, more

drinks for people

Robot!

When I was in college, I went to a bar that looked like this:

Bar!

Table!

Table!

Waiter  (with  drinks!)  

College!

All was well with the world. Table people had drinks, as did bar people.

Bar!

Table!

Table!

Got drinks?

Yah!

Drinks all around!

Now, the nightclubs where my friends like to hang out look more like this:

More: Party! Less: Table!

Bar!

Party!

Party!

Party!

Which is fine, until the club fills up and then the place looks like this:

More: Party! Less: Table!

Bar!

Because I am often over here:

More: Party! Less: Table!

Bar!

Hi!

And getting to the bar is next to impossible.

More: Party! Less: Table!

Bar! How to go there?

So, how do we solve this problem? Like all things in life, there should be an app for that. There should also be a robot.

Meet: the Robot Bartender

Robot!

Hi!

The Robot Bartender traverses a grid-based track on the ceiling of the club.

Robot!

A1   A2   A3   A4   A5  

B1   B5    

C1    

C5  

D1   D2   D4   D5  

E1   E2   E3   E4   E5  

Each of the squares has an alpha-numeric.

Robot!

A1   A2   A3   A4   A5  

B1   B2   B3   B4   B5    

C1    

C2   C3   C4   C5  

D1   D2   D3   D4   D5  

E1   E2   E3   E4   E5  

To order a drink, you look up and see under what grid square you are standing:

I am at D2!

Next, you order your drink on your phone, inputting your grid location.

Drink please!

The app charges your credit card and gives you loyalty points. It posts to your Twitter. It cross promotes with all the other clubs in the network. Meanwhile: The bar prepares the drink. The Robot Bartender picks it up, navigates to you, and lowers it down.

Drink Delivery in Action!

Robot!

Thanks!

The End. This project has some interesting challenges, and any kind of hardware solution is always scary. I wonder, though, if the recouped revenue from partyers wanting to drink but unwilling to fight the crowds wouldn’t make up for the fixed cost in a few, short weekends. And a Robot Bartender? That’s a draw in itself!