THE BARNEY SOLUTION FROM F&P ROBOTICS HAS COMBINED ENTERTAINMENT, EFFICIENCY, AND AUTOMATION IN THE BAR INDUSTRY AND HAS POTENTIAL TO DO THE SAME IN COFFEE.

Pascal Schlittler, Founder of investment platform MyCoffeeWorld, was attending a hospitality event in Switzerland when he decided to go for a drink.

Expecting one or two bartenders to be struggling through the evening rush, Schlittler was surprised to instead discover Barney, a collaborative robotic bar solution with a tablet taking orders and a “cobot” mixing drinks.“It was fascinating. I’ve heard of and seen robotics used in hospitality before, but this was something different. Barney had a smooth leather coating and moved in a way that gave me the impression it goes beyond pure automation. There was an entertaining aspec to it,” Schlittler says.

“We’ve all been in a situation where you’re by yourself at a bar and would like to make conversation, but the bartender is busy serving customers and you’re surrounded by strangers. Barney is a great icebreaker, and that’s exactly what it was doing. People would come up to the bar and talk to their neighbour about the robot.”

With a background in coffee, Schlittler saw the potential this technology had in a café environment. He looked into the company behind Barney, F&P Robotics, and discovered mutual connections through the University of Zurich. He got in touch and learned the company had similar intentions.

“We all like having a friendly bartender or waiter serve us, but the reality is you don’t often have much chance to talk to the barista. They’re usually busy with a queue of people forming, all waiting to place or collect their orders,” Schlittler says.

“This is where F&P Robotics comes in. They have huge expertise behind them, not just in robotics and engineering, but neuroscience and psychology. This allows them to produce very personal robots that don’t just perform an assigned task.

Barney actually creates an experience for the visitor to the venue.” Dr Hans Früh and his son Michael founded F&P Robotics in Zurich, Switzerland in 2014. Früh is a neuroscientist with an extensive background in artificial intelligence and collaborative robotics. F&P Robotics began with a focus on aged and healthcare, launching the human-friendly Lio mobile service, Guido guided mobilisation, and Massimo force-controlled massage robots. However, the company noticed a growing demand in the gastronomy field for robotics.

“F&P Robotics is committed to really personal interactions with people which go far beyond the traditional collaborative robotic approach. It is about creating a source of entertainment, and engaging people emotionally with our machines,” Früh says.

“From healthcare to gastronomy was an easy transition. The main function of our Lio robot is to make sure people drink, eat, take their medication, and maintain personal contact– all tasks that run parallel to hospitality.”

Daniel Adamec, Founder and CEO of Pier99 Capital became involved with F&P Robotics as an investor around 2015 and once the

company turned further into gastronomy, became more directly involved in its operations. “The objective was to not create a vending machine. We wanted to make something entertaining as well as efficient,” Adamec says. Barney is not just a robotic arm. The system also includes an ice machine, cup and drink dispensers, user interface, LED lighting, and a display screen. Adamec says that such a complete bar with a robot is not that expensive, and results in savings in the long run while generates additional revenues. “If you build a new bar from scratch, you’re actually going to spend more money because there’s so much more uncertainty. There’s design and building processes and then you need to procure all the equipment. With Barney, our objective was to create a finished system that doesn’t need too much customisation or adaption to different environments,” he says. “Then, the system leads to higher revenue and traffic because people want to see, watch, and order from Barney. From an efficiency angle, it also reduces operating costs. Particularly in places like hotels that don’t want to have to staff a bar 24/7, you can save on staff, resources, and time spent rostering. Additionally, a precise robot knows exactly how much alcohol is served and spills almost nothing during operation.” Adamec says this would translate to adaptability in coffee service. “Just like Barney triggers the quantity of alcohol based on the input of the customer, the coffee version of Barney would enable the customer to select out of a variety of points to craft their perfect coffee,” he says. “This includes the blends used, sugar and milk quantity, and type of milk. The back office receives information on all items used in real-time.” Following a round of events and showcases, the first Barney bars will be installed later this year in Berlin, Germany, and Interlaken, Switzerland. Adamec adds that Barney doesn’t need to necessarily replace human workers. Barney can brew an espresso or latte while human workers run and collect glasses, welcome guests, and make conversation. “This is a much more valuable use of staff than manual labour,” he says. Schlittler says this presents the coffee industry an opportunity to reinvent how customers order and select their coffee.

Source: GCR

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