BarBot
BarBot Project
As per the project announcement on the mailing list, the goal of this project is to create a robot capable of serving (some) cocktails. Some pictures of cocktail robots can be found in the presentation shown at open night on 2014-03-26.
Goal
To have a functional booze-serving robot ready to take to EM Fields at the end of August 2014.
Minimal functionality
- Make drinks from a combination of four or more spirits (six is better)
- To have some visibly moving part(s) - i.e. not the Bartendro approach where ingredients are pumped to a static glass via static tubes.
- For punters to be able to choose their beverage interactively (options include a punch card)
Stretch Goals
- Have options to add mixers (e.g. tonic water)
- Ice dispenser
- Make it look pretty
Project Management
Makers
Major contributors:
- Daniel Swann
- Ed Raisin
- Ian Dickinson
- Michael Erskine
- Mouse
Collaborators wanted! We're moving from prototyping individual parts to putting the machine together now. Task with which we could use help/collaboration:
- Web interface
- Frame building (box steel frame)
- Thematic design
- Power system
See also: Makers page to see who's doing what.
Meetings
Meeting are at 19:30 on Thursdays at Nottinghack, change announcements will be via the Nottinghack mailing list.
See also: Meeting Archive
Mailing List
To communicate with the makers online, please join the barbot mailing list.
Project timeline
The goal is to have a working robot to take to EM Fields which is at the end of August 2014. More details of sub-project deadlines / goals on the BarBot/Project timeline page.
Purchases & Expenditure
I'd like to keep track of how much is spent on what so I can look back at the end of the project and have a good idea of what it costs to do something like this. I'd also like to reimburse anyone who spends more than their fair share. Please track expenditure on the Purchases and expenditure page.
Design
- Dispensers arranges in a line, dispensers are static
- Glass on moving platform, which moves along a makerslide (1.5m length)
- Dispensers of various types:
- Optics for booze
- Pressurised dispensers for carbonated and other mixers
- Squirters/dashers to add a little bit of something (limejuice, tobasco and such)
- Big syringe for grenadine, because big syringes are cool
Fundamental sub-projects
- Dispensing ingredients
- Delivering ingredients to glass
- Post-processing: stirring / shaking etc. (stretch goal)
- Control software
- Database schema for storing recipes & system config info
- Real-time software control (motor control etc.)
- User interface (web-based)
- Ingredient set-up interface
- Recipe execution software (convert recipe into h/w control sequences)
- Power system 12V battery & mains operation
- Styling and flair
- Recipe collection
Supplies for EMF Camp
I want to take a bunch of drink to EMF camp and serve free cocktails. The gifting culture is a wonderful thing, and necessary to avoid conflict with the event licensed bar, but it means we have to fund-raise before hand do buy the stuff. We'll have to fork out for:
- Spirits
- Mixers
- Disposable glasses
- Cocktail umbrellas and such (well, we don't have to - we get to)
Bistromathics
I want to serve on Friday and Saturday nights, for about 3 hours per night. I think we can probably serve one drink every 2 minutes, which means we're going to get through about 150-200 drinks. Assuming 200, with an average of 2 * 25 ml shots per drink, and 50ml of mixer, that's:
- 10 litres of spirits = about £150
- 10 litres of mixers = about £10-20
- About £60 for nice disposable glasses or about £20 for less nice ones. We can have a mixture of them.
Basically, we're looking at a £200 bill for all this if we're going to get cheap booze... more money means better quality boozes.
References
- http://partyrobotics.com/
- http://hackaday.com/?s=barbot
- All time top drinks at webtender http://www.webtender.com/statistics/all-time-top.html