Robot Baristas Will Take Over Your Life

Do you like your morning joe with a dose of cheery small talk? If the answer is yes, you might be in for some bad news thanks to Briggo CEO Kevin Nater, who is unveiling a robot barista that may change the coffee experience forever.

The Briggo coffee kiosk, dubbed the Coffee Haus, only needs 50 square feet — the size of two phone booths — and can be dropped anywhere, including an actual café space with tables and WiFi. The machine is supposed to be the super barista: with everything perfectly measured and controlled, the coffee produced will be consistently delicious, exactly what the customer ordered. And the recipe is designed for success, since the Briggo was “trained” by award-winning barista Patrick Pierce.

Nater wants to use the Briggo to avoid “variation,” or the negative result of having such high barista turnover. In coffee-speak, variation is pretty much as bad as it gets, since it means a barista is not using the coffee beans in the most optimal way. “What we’ve created is in essence a small food factory that absolutely replicates what a champion barista does,” says Nater.

And Briggo provides more than your standard black coffee. Customers will be able to get an espresso, a latte, an iced coffee, a chai latte, hot chocolate, and just about any other non-alcoholic beverage you can think of.

Briggo also offers an app that allows you to order your coffee in advance. The app requires signing in and providing payment information, then lets you know precisely when your cuppa will be ready so you can just swing by an pick it up.

That's all fine and dandy, but a machine just can't smile at you and wish you a nice day the way a human can. But though Briggo might be a future rival, they're not aiming to replace your local coffee shop — yet. Nater explains, “With just 50 square feet we can create a barista-quality experience in a location where a coffee shop can’t have the economics to operate."

Image: Briggo via Facebook