If you’ve ever tried to get a drink at an airport bar, you know that service can sometimes be a bit… slow. Even if you manage to get a drink quickly, if that drink isn’t something simple like a rum and coke or a vodka cranberry, you’re also likely to get a drink that isn’t exactly what you were hoping for.
One company is attempting to change all that with a new robotic bartender that entirely replaces the human behind the counter. Called Yanu, the device would be able to not only mix up and serve drinks, but also handle payments and communicate with patrons.
It’s certainly not a replacement for your typical chat with a bartender about your day, but the idea could dramatically expedite you getting your drink in the first place, and can set some standards for what that drink is actually going to taste like when it arrives.
Alan Adojann, the CEO and founder of Yanu, says that the robot can make up to 200 drinks per hour. It also lowers the operating costs for a bar as well as eliminates problems when a bartender needs a sick day or wants to take a vacation.
One thing Yanu won’t have is a ton of selection. The device is capable of holding 50 bottles at a time, which lends itself to a good number of cocktails, for sure, but perhaps not quite the variety you might find in a larger human-run bar.
And it’s not just a dream. This bad boy is headed to the public soon.
The company already has plans to bring the robot to market next month, and has contracts to put it in two airports, Paris and Amsterdam, both of which have limited space.