There are many people who enjoy sipping on fancy cocktails, but putting
together drinks of such sophistication involves a certain expertise, a
cabinet's worth of ingredients and a fair slice of your time. Wanting to
make this life of luxury a little more accessible, the team behind the
Somabar have produced a robotic bartending machine that spits out craft
cocktails at the push of a button.
The Somabar measures 19 x 11 x 15 in (48 x 28 x 38 cm) and looks much
like a regular countertop appliance. Three canister-like containers
called Soma pods are plugged in on either side of the machine, storing
liqueurs, bitters and other ingredients of choice. These are detachable
and dishwasher safe, while the Somabar itself is cleaned by an internal
flushing system that kicks in every time a new drink is ordered.
The Somabar connects to the user's iOS or Android device over Wi-Fi,
with a companion app then serving as the control panel for mixing
drinks. This may include recommendations based on the ingredients
already in the Soma pods, or suggestions for the addition of new ones to
expand the menu. The developers say that from pressing the button in
the app to having your cocktail glass brimming with a perfectly mixed
cocktail takes less than five seconds. Users can also determine the
strength of their cocktails, keep tabs on ingredient levels and share
favorites recipes with an online community.
The craftsmanship required by the art of mixology has seen numerous robots designed specifically to tackle the task, with the Inebriator, the Bartendro and the Makr Shakr
just a few of the concepts to emerge. But between the robotic arms,
complex dispensing systems and moving pedestals, these perhaps don't
have quite the same consumer focus. The Somabar may resemble more a
vending machine than a robot, but its developers are hopeful that they
can put craft cocktails into more hands with a device that wouldn't look
out of place wedged between your coffee machine and toaster.
It should be noted that the Somabar won't produce chilled drinks, so
you'd need some ice on hand to really fulfill its potential. The company
says that building in this function would drive up production costs and
ultimately result in an unsatisfactory price point.
It is looking to raise US$50,000 on Kickstarter
to fund the first production run, where early pledges of $399 will have
one sent your way in July 2015 if everything goes as planned. Colors
options are blue, red, orange and grey.
You can hear from the creators in the video below.
Source: Somabar
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