Asahi, the Japanese beer company, plans to distribute 5,000 personal beer-serving robots. Each robot can hold up to 6 cans of beer in a refrigerated compartment in their belly.
With just a press of a button, these simple robots will open a can of beer and pour the chilled beverage into a glass for their owners.
Asahi’s robot opens the refrigerated compartment, retrieves a beer, and pours it into a glass (from left to right) (Photo: VNN)
To receive one of these robots for free, individuals must participate in a contest that is exclusively open to residents of Japan. The prize will go to the person who collects 36 stamps from specially marked beer cans.
Some robotics experts believe this is an exciting way to spark public interest in robots. However, others argue that it is merely a form of advertising to attract customers to buy beer.
Gaurav Sukhatme, a robotics expert from the University of Southern California, stated: “I think the demand for household serving robots is very high.” Meanwhile, Magnus Wurzer, who organized an event featuring cocktail-mixing robots in Vienna in November 2005, believes the household robotics sector is on the verge of a boom.
Minh Sơn (According to NewScientist)
