Always on the lookout for ways to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, airlines now have a new toy: a robot bartender.
The Skytender Trolley is not going to be a shiny and convivial robot clanking down the aisle and asking you, "What'll you have?" But it's only a step away from that.
Mounted onto the same kind of trolley flight attendants use today, the Skytender works like a soft drink dispenser at a fast-food joint. It can mix up 15 different drinks, and the system lets airlines choose more than 100 different beverages or flavors to offer passengers, including hot and cold drinks -- even wine.
If you've noticed how many drink cans and bottles must be opened by flight attendants during a routine beverage service, you'll understand why this device will be so welcome. Instead of all that fumbling around with containers, a flight attendant's simple button push makes the chosen drink begin to flow.
Oliver Kloth, general manager of Skymax, one of the companies behind this tech, says the system was successful on a recent test flight.
"The system operated as expected ... passengers were extremely pleased with the beverage options and most importantly the quality and speed of service."
The Skytender takes care of keeping water hot and cold, and its 235-drink capacity will be enough for a thirsty cabin full of passengers on a smaller airliner. The cart has a container that holds 8 gallons of water, ready to be heated, mixed or poured.
First tested on German airline WDL Aviation, the company plans to offer the service to other airlines.
Graphics courtesy Skymax
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