‘Robot bartender’ to launch in the US

A robot bartender will soon be available to host cocktail parties at homes in the US following a successful crowd-funding bid by its creator.

Monsieur, the “robot bartender”, will launch in the US in May

Monsieur, the “robot bartender” created by a US company of the same name, uses an app to calculate the ideal cocktail for drinkers depending on their preferences.

The robot, described as something similar to a “cocktail vending machine” suited to domestic environments, can calculate how strong to make cocktails which have been selected from a list of 300 options.

Owners are also able to order drinks remotely so that they are ready for them when they get home, while the machine also has the ability to make cocktail recommendations depending on what its user has ordered in the past.

Furthermore, when cocktail ingredients run out, the machine can email or text a local store to order more.

Each Monsieur comes with 12 themes each offering between 20 and 25 drink selections which can be shared over social media.

The machine also has a responsibility app, which calculates alcohol intake depending on user’s weight and gender.

It was created after a £100,000 crowdsourcing initiative through Kickstarter.

Barry Givens, co-founder and CEO of Monsieur, said that he hopes the machine will soon roll out across on-trade channels.

Monsieur machines will be available from May 2014 at an RRP of US$5,000, while commercial customers will be charged a US$299 rental fee a month following a US$1,000 set-up charge.

In September 2013, a team of behavioural scientists from the US concluded a study using a robotic bartender which identified the most effective way customers could get served at a busy bar.