Robolution: Makr Shakr (Robot Bartender)

[6souls]

Spoiler: show

Tom Cruise may famously have taken the role of barman in the film Cocktail but now there could be an even more impressive mixologist in town.

Makr Shakr will be serving cocktails to delegates at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco this week.

It consists of three robotic arms which mimic the actions of a bartender from shaking a martini to slicing a lemon.

The robots are linked to an app which allows users to create their own cocktails from scratch.

"Makr Shakr is a great example of how digital technologies are changing the interaction between people and products," said Carlo Ratti, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Senseable City Lab, which directed the project.

"The system explores the new dynamics of social creation and consumption - 'design, make and enjoy' - allowing users to design their own cocktail creations, while digitally controlled machines transform these designs into reality."

The team behind the project hope to create a "bottom-up bar culture", allowing users to learn from each other by sharing drink recipes and photos.

The robots' movements were modelled on the gestures of Roberto Bolle, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.

The project was completed in collaboration with the Coca-Cola company and Bacardi.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22523822

Makr Shakr is a new robotic bartending system that allows users to create, in real-time, personalized cocktail recipes through a smart phone application and transform them into crowd-sourced drink combinations. The cocktail creation is assembled by three robotic arms, whose movements - visualized on a large display positioned behind the bar - mimic the actions of a bartender, from the shaking of a martini to the thin slicing of a lemon garnish. The system explores the new dynamics of social creation and consumption - ‘design, make and enjoy’ - and in just the time needed to prepare a new cocktail.

Instead of trying to replace a bartender with a robot, Makr Shakr is a social experiment that looks at how people might embrace the new possibilities offered by digital manufacturing. In Makr Shakr, social connections are woven throughout the co-creation and mixing of ingredients, which are then fed back to the user through the app. With this new technology, consumers can learn from each other, sharing connections, recipes and photos on social networks. Furthermore, Makr Shakr can monitor alcohol consumption and blood alcohol levels - something beyond what a traditional bartender can do - hence promoting responsible drinking.

http://www.makrshakr.com/

[Boyiee]

The apps to create your own drink and share with others are neat.

Kinda cool if you don't mind waiting 15 minutes for a drink with no one else at the bar.

Furthermore, Makr Shakr can monitor alcohol consumption and blood alcohol levels - something beyond what a traditional bartender can do - hence promoting responsible drinking.

Like it really needs to do that, no one is going to get a buzz while waiting for this thing.

[Callisto]

This makes me wonder, does anyone know what the fuck those iRobot commercials are for lol?

[BaneTheBrawler]

looks cool, but it really is glacially slow, lol. and the third arm didn't even seem to be doing anything in the first video. It could have been starting the next drink while the other two worked. could definitely use some optimization, but seems like fun.

[Mazmaz]

This makes me wonder, does anyone know what the fuck those iRobot commercials are for lol?

OMG those are fucking grim aren't they? There's not even a message, unless you count "ROBOTS ARE COMING" as a message.

[AidenCarby]

Idk, I always thought conversing with the hot bartender was always part of the experience.