The Heineken Robot was developed at the Autonomous Systems Lab in the Department of Product Design and Engineering at Middlesex University. Originally developed to exhibit at the Kinetica Art Fair London in February 2010, the Heineken Robot is an autonomous microprocessor controlled mobile system for serving beer using Heineken’s 5L Draught Keg system.
The Robot will run on any flat, clear surface of minimum dimensions: 1 m x 0.5 m. An array of Infrared sensors prevent the robot from falling off the table surface and bumping into obstacles.
By placing your hand in front of and above the robot, an Ultrasonic sensor is activated, which stops it moving, you then place a half-pint beer glass under the keg tap, the robot then pours out your drink and moves on to its next customer!
The robot has sensors which will let the user know when the system is running out of beer and when the batteries need to be recharged. The system has a running time of about 4 hrs between charges. The robot has been designed for ease of access to the batteries and to enable the user to changeover the keg in less than 60 seconds.
The Heineken Robot is available for Hire or purchase at the following outlets:
http://www.mutr.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=409&products_id=1009753
http://kinetica-museum.org/store2/product_info.php?cPath=72&products_id=388
Reviews:
http://crenk.com/awesome-heineken-robot-pours-you-a-pint/
http://www.pddnet.com/video-heineken-beer-robot-031010/
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20100209/heineken-robot-serves-beer/