And gets behind the counter:

researchers at the MIT senseable city lab have collaborated with the coca-cola company and bacardí rums, to design a robotic bar tending system known as the ‘makr shakr’, which allows users to create real time personalized cocktail recipes using a smart phone app, transforming them into crowd-sourced drink combinations. to use ‘makr shakr’, one must download the software onto their handheld devices, which allows them to create both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink combinations from a touchscreen-operated beverage dispenser, with more than 100 drink choices. the cocktails are then shaken up by three robotic arms, whose movements – shown 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.

‘makr shakr is a great example of how digital technologies are changing the interaction between people and products – a topic that our laboratory has been exploring in great depth,’ says carlo ratti, director of the MIT senseable city lab. the installation can monitor among others, alcohol consumption and blood alcohol levels – something beyond what a traditional bartender can do.