Your body language is killing your vibe at the bar; researchers from the Bielefeld University have figured out what you need to do to get noticed by your server, and are in the process of turning their findings into a robotic bartender.
In a crowded, dimly lit pub, the people who will potentially serve you are trying to figure out who wants a beer and who is just standing there, hanging out with their buddies. If you want that drink, don't bother waving to the bartender; they're less likely to notice you, according to a news release:
"The most common and successful signals are less pronounced: more than ninety per cent of the customers positioned themselves directly at the bar counter and turned straight towards the counter or a member of staff. The research team found that visitors who do not wish to place an order would instinctively avoid these behaviours. Subconsciously, they maintain a small distance to the bar and turn away from it, e.g. when chatting to friends. "
Establishing eye contact is also important when you want that drink ASAP.
The Bielefield University researchers have broken it down to a science, in the hopes of eventually creating a bartending robot. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers In Psychology:
"The robot is named 'James', after the research project. Despite its suggestive name, the robot James has no resemblance to a butler from Victorian times. Its head is a tablet computer showing big, comic-style eyes which can establish eye contact with the customers. Its mouth moves in sync with its speech. The one-armed metal body forming James' torso is fixed behind the bar. James accepts drink orders, reaches for the drink using its arm and a four-fingered hand and serves the drinks to its customers."
The projects aims to create technology sensitive enough to replace a human server by identifying the common behaviors of bar patrons.
"Effectively, the customers identify themselves as ordering and non-ordering people through their behaviour," said psychologist Dr. Sebastian Loth, one of the authors of the study, in a news release. "With the update, James only talks to people whose position and body posture clearly indicate that they wish to order a drink."
