A University of Alabama in Huntsville graduate is looking to shape the future of coffee with an innovative robot designed to serve drinks. Vinay Salikineedi, along with his roommate, developed the robot, which now serves as the barista at a new coffee truck on Wynn Drive in Huntsville.
Salikineedi came up with the idea while running Café De La UAH inside the university’s library. He wanted to create a solution that would allow baristas to focus more on customer service while the robot handled the coffee-making process.
“For baristas, balancing making coffee with providing good customer service can be challenging,” said Salikineedi. “I wanted to automate the coffee-making process to ease that burden.”
The robot was built entirely by Salikineedi and his roommate, who used 3D printing to create the components. Although the project presented a steep learning curve, Salikineedi found the experience rewarding.
“Learning the technology was a challenge at first, but once we got the hang of it, building the robot was a lot of fun,” he said.
The robot is programmed to prepare coffee by filling a cup with creamer, syrup, ice, and coffee. The entire process takes about two and a half minutes, but Salikineedi hopes to reduce that time in the future.
“The goal is for the robot to master all the basic tasks of a barista, such as pulling a shot, adding syrups, and steaming milk,” Salikineedi explained. “Eventually, we want the robot to be able to create various coffee recipes.”
Currently, the coffee truck serves as a demonstration for the robotic barista, and Salikineedi hopes to have the robot in a store by the end of 2025 or 2026. However, he faces a major challenge in securing investment for the next phase of the project.
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