From the Series
In an attempt to explore a third Industrial Revolution, Carlo Ratti designed a robotic bartender for this year’s Milan Furniture Fair.
Italian designer Carlo Ratti of MIT Senseable City Lab designed a system that allows people to invent their own drink recipes, while digitally controlled machines turn these recipes into reality.
Digital technologies are changing the interaction between people and products, says Ratti.
“Makr Shakr” is designed to increase interaction between people through sharing experiences and options while their drinks are being mixed. “It aims to share a new potential – drink-make-enjoy with everyone in just a few minutes”, says Ratti.
Users download an app onto their handheld devices. The app then allows each user to transform into a virtual barman through mixing ingredients and quantities dependent on what they would like to drink. The drink is hereafter crafted by three robotic arms, whose movements reproduce every action of a barman – from the shaking of a Martini to the muddling of a Mojito.
