Baristas and standalone stations are nothing new at tech conferences, but one is likely to grab special attention at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago this weekend.
A humanoid robot named ADAM is ready to serve up espresso-based drinks like Americanos and cappuccinos. The so-called artisanal coffee system from Richtech Robotics Inc. — which debuted earlier this year to rapt audiences in select locations across the nation to make boba teas lattes, drip coffees, and cocktails — has received a major upgrade and now features equipment from cafés, including a precision grinder, distribution and tamping equipment, and a hand-pressed espresso machine. It signals the next step in Richtech’s mission to remake the hospitality industry and other sectors with artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
More important, the system represents a new layer of intelligence by applying ADAM’s physical AI capabilities to monitor and control the espresso-making process in real time – another step forward in the fledgling field of physical AI predicted by NVIDIA Corp. CEO Jensen Huang earlier this year.
“The possibilities are limitless. The training and capability growth of ADAM and other machines is going to be parabolic,” Matt Casella, president at Richtech Robotics, said in a video interview. “This is a great way to showcase a machine using AI capabilities to monitor and use equipment as a human would. In short time, ADAM will be able to make any type of drink.”
“Automation and AI are going to give us multiple ways to experience coffee and alcohol,” Casella said. “For us, NVIDIA is a core piece of getting there.”
Richtech Robotics, a publicly traded provider of AI-driven service robots, uses the NVIDIA edge AI computing module for human detection, interaction, and object recognition. Besides making drinks, ADAM uses AI-enabled vision to detect when a customer approaches, prompting the robot to begin explaining each step of the process in real time.
The bot barista debuted at a shopping mall south of the Las Vegas Strip earlier this year, where it prepared coffee and served deserts under the food and beverage brand Clouffee and Tea. It marked the 9-year-old company’s first successful foray into AI-powered robotics producing sales in the hospitality industry. Since then, ADAM has surfaced as a bartender of high-priced cocktails at Global Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers, as well as a dozen Ghost Kitchens within Walmart Inc. stores. It is also at work at MCM Coffee spots in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In addition to its hospitality play, Richtech has designs on the health care industry and autonomous delivery robots. It showcased prototypes in January at the massive CES trade show in Las Vegas in January, where it drew big crowds. ADAM served up to 200 drinks a day at the show, while Scorpion, an AI-powered, one-armed robot, also handed out drinks.
ADAM employs an integrated touchscreen point-of-sale system for customer ordering and paying. The company uses its AI cloud platform to analyze restaurant, hotel, and hospital operational workflows after robots are deployed.
“We expect a similar reaction in Chicago this weekend,” Casella said. “There is a new era in hospitality and physical AI.”
