History of Cocktailrobotics
The term cocktailrobots was coined in connection with R O B O E X O T I C A -festival and refers to robots that mix and/or serve drinks but also lead bar-conversation, light cigarettes or have achieved anything else in terms of cocktailculture.
Cocktail Robots that mix and serve:
198x:
Ernie, Honeybee Robotics, USA [+ conversation] - Video
ca. 1995:
Martini Maker, Kal Spelletich, USA
1999:
Cockbot 1, Chris Veigl, A - Link
Cynthia, Dick Becker, GB
2000:
Rufus, Dick Becker, GB
2001:
(?) BarMonkey v1, student proj, USA - Link
Robo Bar, Motoman, USA - Link
2002:
Alcotron, student proj, USA - Link
Azbar cocktail tower, Azbar, USA - Link
Gesundheit, Franz Ablinger, A - Video
Robomoji, Robert Martin, A - Video
2003:
PCA, Jan Wachter, A
The Automated Bartender, student proj, USA
2004:
xxx, Fanuc-Lenzing, D/A
Son of Ep, Fachhochschule Technikum, A
2005:
Chapok, David Calkins, USA - Video
Tender One, Redl Barsysteme, A
2006:
Automated Bar, Institute, USA
Automatica Bar, Fachhochschule Technikum, A
El Espanol Borracho, Simone Davalos, USA - Video
External Combustion Engine, Jonathan Moore & David Fine, USA - Video
... 2006 the term "Cocktailroboter" is picked up by FH Technikum in their PR and by a German team that showed their robot at CeBit. It now can be considered the official translation of the persistent english "bartending robot" after having shown up in media repeatedly in previous years.
ROBOEXOTICA: first cocktailrobotic conference and exhibit worldwide
When we held the first roboexotica 1999, we were not aware of any other existing „cocktailrobots“, but i always had the feeling, that a similar idea must have occured to somebody sometime.
Actually ROBOEXOTICA is based on that believe, as the aim was from the start to find out about other cocktail robots and include them in our platform.
So the surprise was limited when shortly after the first event newspaper Der Standard reported on a London cocktail bar, where a massive android was serving the drinks – Cynthia.
(Contact was established with Dick Becker, Cynthia's creator, so we included material on her in the roboexotica exhibit. 2003 Franz Ablinger and I travelled to London to document on Cynthia, but alas, she was already out of order – the club had been sold the new owners didn't notify us that Cynthia was put out of business, for her high maintenance-costs).
Cocktailrobots Listing
Videos
Click Thumbnails to view.
R O B O E X O T I C A , the annual cocktailrobotics festival, Vienna ...
Host of the Annual Cocktail Robot Awards!