FEATURE Robotics
Let the robot fi x your perfect cup of coff ee
T
he idea for MyAppCafé, where a robot prepares a fresh cup of coffee, came to Karlsruhe (Germany) based founder Michael Stille during a “Tatort” episode in which a catering robot played a central role. Stille worked with two other Karlsruhe companies, IBS and Rothweiler Feinwerkmechanik, to deliver the perfect solution. Now you can order your morning brew conveniently via an app – there are 160 variants of coffee specialties, including espresso doppio, cappuccino, chocciato or latte – and let the robot barista serve it fresh.
MyAppCafé delivers the whole concept - turnkey and automatically. The decisive goal during development was its cost effectiveness: each franchisee only needs to spend a maximum of one hour a day refilling and waiting, the rest is fully automated. MyAppCafé only needs to be refilled after around 650 issues – with the system automatically informing the operators. A robot is the heart of the cell: after
reviewing and comparing several options, the choice for the robot quickly fell on Kawasaki, specifically its RS005L unit. With a maximum payload of 5kg and a maximum reach of 903mm, the RS005L is part of the universal R series for small-to-medium payloads, suitable for assembly, materials handling,
18 November 2022 | Automation
machine tending and many more other applications. Within a few months the development and collaboration between the several partners led to a successful prototype, which completely met the high demands – full automation, intuitive operation, robustness and reliability. After ordering the coffee via the app or kiosk touchscreen, the Kawasaki robot takes a cup and positions it under one of the two high-end coffee machines of WMF type 9000 S+, two syrup stations or the specially-developed milk system. Following the dispensing of liquid, it presents the coffee to a dispensing station for collection. The robot can prepare and serve up to 120 coffee cups per hour – and it can even decorate the hot drinks with symbols, texts or images on the
milk foam using a food printer. Even customers’ own photos can be uploaded via the app and displayed on a fresh cappuccino. Payment is made with all common contactless methods, including EC and credit cards, PayPal, ApplePay and GooglePay.
Growth despite the virus The Covid pandemic has naturally slowed down the momentum, as in all industries, but new inquiries are still coming in every day worldwide for the MyAppCafé solution. Talks are currently underway with several listed companies in Germany who plan to integrate MyAppCafè. On average, it takes two months from ordering a MyAppCafé cell to the start of operations at the desired location. Last year, at least 50 kiosks were installed in Germany, and franchise fairs have generated interest from Dubai, the US, Poland, Sweden, France, Israel and others. Ideal locations include shopping centres, universities, stations and airports, but the possibilities for the integration of the robot supported MyAppCafé cell are endless – and not excluding offices and other waiting areas.
CONTACT:
Kawasaki Robotics (UK)
https://kawasakirobotics.de/en/ 01925 713000
automationmagazine.co.uk
Feature sponsored by
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50
