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The rise of the robotic servant
Chores are the bane of domesticity. Dull and repetitive tasks have already been farmed out to robots in industrial workplaces, so why not our homes, too? On a small scale, they've already arrived, just not quite in the way film and TV promised. For this week's Rewind, we take a look at some of the highlights in the history of robotic servants.
Monsieur robotic bartender pours libations at home for $1,499 (hands-on)
A night out at the local watering hole can be a pain sometimes, having to elbow your way through crowds and struggle to catch the bartender's eye, all for a tasty beverage. If only we could leave all the hard work to a machine. Fortunately, Monsieur, the "robotic bartender" that we first met at TechCrunch Distrupt a few weeks ago, is back to deliver a Jetsonian experience to those who thirst for more than tech. It's certainly not the first of its kind, but the delivery method employed here is of a subtler sort, downplaying the anthropomorphic angle and hiding away the mechanism inside a streamlined casing. The home-bound version is significantly more compact (and less expensive) than the enterprise edition seen above, and it should be making its way to consumers soon. Grab a glass and join us after the break to see what's in store.
Monsieur robotic bartender automates mixed drinks with a tap of a finger
While many of us enjoy the pleasure of mixed alcoholic beverages, not everyone wants to take the time to make them ourselves. Perhaps that's why the Raspberry Pi-powered Bartendro cocktail mixing bot proved so popular that it easily reached its $135,000 Kickstarter goal. Yet, the Bartendro's decidedly homespun look might not fly so well in more respectable establishments. Enter the Monsieur, which is a much more elegant solution for lazy lushes everywhere. Monsieur is a "robotic bartender" housed inside a stylish black box, developed by Georgia Tech mates Barry Givens and Eric Williams after Givens got tired of waiting for a mixed drink at a bar. The duo spent months working to make sure it poured just the right measurements per drink (that must've been fun to test) and making other refinements that resulted in the machine you see above. The Monsieur comes in either eight or 12 bottle configurations, and you can find out which alcohol or mixer to put in which slot by following the instructions on the machine. It has a built-in recipe library, customizable drink profiles and it even creates a grocery list for you. Right now the machine uses an Android tablet to drive it, but they hope to have a more integrated solution when it comes to market. There's also a corresponding mobile app that offers recipe ideas. The Monsieur is currently being marketed as part of bottle service at high-end bars and at sporting events. All the staff would need to do is roll the box into a room and let customers order what they want; the computer will keep track of the orders and bill them when they're done. Givens and Williams don't rule out the possibility of a consumer version, but that's not in the cards just yet. Until then, check out the source link for more info or hit up the via to see their presentation at TechCrunch Disrupt.
