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Pandemic Entrepreneurs! Consider Robo Esso Robot Barista
Robo Esso is a little start-up by a robot - no, wait, the robot is the worker and the entrepreneur is Mathew Jones, who opened a robot coffee shop in Golden, Colorado. Anyway, in this era of social distance, who wants to stand in a little shop while some breathing human makes you your coffee?
Jones’ passion is coffee, and his new business seems custom-made for a time of social distancing: a robot-run café. He brewed up the idea well before the pandemic, while running a small coffee shop in Blackhawk."I was making a latte and I was just thinking, it seems like this could be automated because it's just out of repetition," he told CPR News' Colorado Matters. "And then once the pandemic hit, I really felt like I had no choice but to go all-in on automation."
Jones began studying robots and programming. He’s found modern robots to be fairly user-friendly.
(Via Colorado Public Radio)
One of the earliest robot drink servers is the humanoid bartender from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester, published in 1956:
He knew his life was at bay, faced with the decision of his life. He ignored his enemies and examined the perpetual beam carved in the robot face of the bartender, the classic Irish grin.
"Thank you," Foyle said.
"My pleasure, sir," the robot replied and awaited his next cue.
"Nice day," Foyle remarked.
"Always a lovely day somewhere, sir," the robot responded...
And by the way, if you're going to have a robotic barista, you're going to want a robot with a good sense of smell, who can just sniff and tell if the coffee is good - see this article Electronic Taster Has A Nose For Coffee.
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