Every Los Angeleno I know is predicting an explosion of going out in the coming weeks as vaccinations accelerate. Bars and restaurants will be packed once again as those who have been stuck at home for the past year feel empowered to venture amongst other people once more.
Finally being able to release all that pent-up demand will be great for bars, restaurants and the workers there — but it’s going to be busy. Perhaps they should consider enlisting a little robotic bartender help to keep the drinks flowing.
If they do, Revolmatic has just the device. The Polish startup makes an eponymous automated beer dispensing robot that can act as either a bartender’s assistant or a standalone vending machine.
The Revolmatic is a countertop device that connects to a keg to automatically pour beers. The machine will dispense disposable cups into a rotating tray that slides the cup under the beer dispenser for filling. (Reuseable cups can be used, but they need to be placed in the tray manually.) Revolmatic can pour up to 450 beers per hour, and the machine has special software and a touchscreen to adjust factors like temperature and foam to make sure pours come out correctly.
As noted, there are two versions of the Revolmatic. A bartender assistant is just as it sounds: it’s a machine that cranks out beers so busy bartenders can focus on other, more complicated drinks. There is also a standalone version that integrates Nayax’s payment system (among others) to create an unattended beer vending machine.
In its vending machine form, the Nayax integration allows customers to pay for their beers through a number of payment options like credit card or by mobile phone via an app like the Monyx Wallet (which is popular in Europe). Machines are typically set up in areas that conduct age verification upon entry (like a bar), and the Nayax system can decline payments from people underage.
We are starting to see robo-bartenders pop up in more places. Macco Robotics in Spain uses a humanoid-looking robot to pour beers. GlacierFire in Iceland uses multiple articulating arms to mix cocktails. In California, Rotender makes a full-on standalone cocktail vending machine. And Cecilia.ai adds a dash of chatbot with its robot.
There are a few reasons we’re seeing so much activity in the space right now. First, robots are still a novelty and might attract a few extra lookee-loos who are curious enough to buy a robo-drink. Second, if a robot can take over the simple work of pouring beer after beer after beer (think: at festival or stadium), then humans are freed up to better interact with customers or perform higher-skilled tasks. Finally, post-pandemic, bars and restaurants are looking to reduce the amount of human contact, something contactless vending machines do.
Right now, the Revolmatic is available in European countries such Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic and has a base price of €6,000 Euros (~$7,000 USD).
If you wan to see more drink robot action, then be sure to attend Articulate, our upcoming food robotics and automation virtual conference on May 18. It’ll be packed full of great speakers from across the robot landscape talking about the most pressing issues facing the industry. Get your ticket today!
