Students of Lviv Polytechnic National University have developed a robot bartender. Currently, the iron worker is preparing to work in Lviv restaurants and also for Asian entrepreneurs. So far, student development is undergoing the final stages of certification.
Dev.ua interviewed the developers of the robot bartender and found out how it works, what it can do and how much it costs.
How students came up with the idea of a robot bartender
In their first year of study, students of the Department of Artificial Intelligence Systems, the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Lviv Polytechnic, were given the task to do a term paper. But instead they decided to develop their own project. For 7 months, a team of four students pondered what the invention should look like. The idea of creating a robot bartender was spontaneous. The students decided that such a prototype is fun, non-trivial, useful and promising in the future.
According to Olesia Marko, one of the developers, at first it was a robotic hand that changed its position. It could move up, down, left and right. The details printed on a 3D printer were made of poor-quality plastic. The weight of the robot was 1.3 kg. The team even fixed it with silicone glue.
Initially, students expected that the robot would have a voice with prepared phrases. But they decided not to stop and use the neural network.
Subsequently, they began to implement the plan. The robot bartender was originally called Drinmix, considering it simply a project. The latest version, which is a full-fledged prototype of the robot, was named Joseph. From a plastic model that can do simple things, Joseph has grown into a robot made of steel and aluminum which can support conversation.
Currently, the third version is at the stage of certification confirmation. Here the developers have added an installation that will dispense drinks and keep them. «It will speed up the work of our bartender,» says Olesia.
The presentation of the latest version of the robot is scheduled for November 16, on the Saint Joseph’s Day.
More information is available on Dev.ua.