Baristas beware, robots are coming for your job

WHAT if you could get the perfect coffee tailored to your tastes every time without the annoying small talk, bean snobbery and wait times? Introducing the Briggo coffee-bot.

Baristas beware, the Briggo is here for your job. Picture: Briggo

BARISTAS beware, the robots are coming for your jobs.

The Briggo coffee kiosk is the creation of CEO Kevin Nater and was designed by award-winning industrial designer, Yves Behar.

Mr Nater's vision is to create a robot barista that does everything better than your standard coffee guy, The Atlantic reports.

Firstly, Briggo doesn't talk. So right there the no small-talk factor is appealing. It doesn't need any training and it memorises every single one of its customers orders.

But most importantly, Mr Nater claims his invention is capable of making the perfect coffee, tailored to your specifications. No seriously, Briggo was trained by an award-winning barista, Patrick Pierce (who has since left the company but who cares, he's already imparted his secrets).

The Briggo contains 250 hidden sensors and can assess its own performance, like is that temperature OK? Is the foam frothy enough?

The coffee is delivered in vacuum sealed capsules and the Briggo machine measures humidity, shock time and adjust the grind of the bean to compensate for any changes in variables.

"We have visibility with that bean. We track every single shot of espresso," Mr Nater says. "We know if it's within our quality spec, and we fully control the whole supply chain. We can go well beyond what a high-attrition part-time employee can do."

News_Module: Briggo : Transforming Your Coffee Experience

CEO Kevin Nater says his Briggo robot barista solves the issue of "variation" in coffee. In a nutshell, staff turnover at many coffee shops is high and most baristas don't stick around long enough to become good at making a consistently excellent coffee.

Briggo solves that issue. He also doesn't need to get paid. So there's a plus.

It also doesn't take up a lot of space. At just 4.6sq m it is similar in size to a phone booth, making it perfect for airports, hospitals, businesses and even cafes.

Briggo solves a lot of issues. It has an accompanying smartphone app which lets you order and pay for your coffee in advance, eliminating the need for customers to stand in long queues. It also tells you how long your coffee will be.

News_Image_File: The Briggo claims to be able to make your perfect coffee, every time.

It also lets people design their own brews and then share their Briggo coffee experience. So if you've created some incredible orange mocha frappachino, you can tweet that too so that your followers can get in on the zoolander action.

Not a coffee person? Fear not, Briggo will make you a hot chocolate, iced chocolate, iced chai latte or just steamed milk if that's your thing

"What we've created is in essence a small food factory that absolutely replicates what a champion barista does," Mr Nater said.

The one thing Briggo can't replace is the social experience of coffee. As we all know, coffee is a ritual. It's not just about the drink. It's about sparing yourself five minutes from work to have a walk and a chat with your colleagues while you queue, or your friends if you're not at work.

It's about enjoying the atmosphere of the coffee shop, about the sound of the steamer and the grind of the beans. Briggo can't really deliver that kind of experience.

News_Image_File: Picture: Briggo

Mr Nater says baristas shouldn't think of the Briggo as their enemy because it's about creating a cure for "out-of-home coffee drinkers" that are tired of "an inconsistent experience".

Right now the Briggo coffee kiosk is stationed at the University of Austin Texas. But the company has plans to introduce more Briggo machines across the US. But it's keeping its upcoming locations a secret, for now.