Royal Caribbean announced Monday that its next cruise ship will include a bar where robots will serve drinks to passengers.
The machine will be a part of the Bionic Bar aboard the Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's first new ship in four years, according to USA Today.
Royal Carribean Chairman Richard Fain spoke about the robot at an event at the construction site of the ship, where he said it will appear similar to robots used in car factories. Customers will use tablets to order drinks, and they will be able to watch them be prepared by the robot, which will sometimes receive assistance from a human.
"It's a single arm, and it will go get the ice and the mints and the lemons, and it will squeeze them and shake them," Fain said, adding that customers will eventually be able to order anything they want. "You can be quite customized. That's part of the whole concept of cruising."
The robot bartender is only one of the high-tech features that passengers will see aboard the Quantum of the Seas. Passengers will be able to get amazing views from their rooms thanks to a "Virtual balcony" and a USB charging port provided in every room on the ship. The crew will be able to use tablets and apps designed specifically for the ship, The Verge reported.
Quantam of the Seas will also feature a large showroom called Two70, which will show aeria performances and feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The entertainment space includes six "roboscreens" for surprise performances, and sometimes the glass walls will turn into Vistarama, a wide surface that displays real and imagined projections, USA Today reported.
Royal Caribbean said the ship will provide a super-fast Internet service designed to match fast connections onshore and let passengers stream video, share images, and have video conversations thanks to satellites launched by its tech partner O3b Networks. The vessel also has a giant mechanical arm that brings passengers high above the ship, providing panoramic views of the ocean.
The Bionic Bar is the latest bar to be developed that is served by robots, following one year after the introduction of the Robots Bar and Lounge, a humanoid robot-served theme bar, in Illmenau, Germany, USA Today reported. Monsieur and other startups are also working on robotic bartenders to serve at bars as well as at home.
Quantum of the Seas is scheduled to begin its maiden voyage on Nov. 2 in New York, from which it will sail to the Bahamas, Bermuda and other locations in the Caribbean, The Daily Mail reported. The ship's journey will end in 2015 in Shanghai, China.
