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Robot Bartenders Shake Things Up At Sea

Behind the scenes of the most advanced cruise ship bars..

Ever pioneering, Royal Caribbean has made itself stand out in the travel industry with its continual innovation: the mind-bending Ultimate Abyss, the world’s tallest slide at sea ; onboard sky-diving and surf simulators ; and by employing the world’s first robotic bartenders.

First unveiled on Quantum of the Seas in 2014, a lineup of ships now feature the popular Bionic Bar, including Odyssey and Wonder of the Seas . Manning the bar are two robots; each one has its own name. (For example: On Anthem, they’re called “Shaken” and “Stirred,” and “Mix” and “Mingle” are on Harmony.) Engineered in Italy, these special robots can muddle, stir, shake and strain all types of drinks; the cocktail combinations are endless, with 30 spirits and 21 mixers to choose from.

The robot bartenders can mix two drinks per minute and make up to 1,000 each day. Guests create an order—whether a custom request or standard menu item—on a specially programmed tablet or with staff. They can keep track of their order on the digital screen next to the bar, and once it’s ready, the bartenders will release their drink with a simple tap of their SeaPass card or WOWband.

Created by Makr Shakr, an Italian robotics company based in Turin, the technology is so complex the bartenders can’t be deployed just anywhere. The system has three components: the robots, the core of the show that everyone can see; the application that drives them; and the aesthetics.

Beyond designing machines that could mix drinks with precision, Makr Shakr wanted grace and harmony to play a central role in how they moved. The company collaborated with famous dancer Marco Pelle, a principal dancer at the New York Theater Ballet, by mapping his movements with a computer, then simulating them so that the robots make human-like movements.

“There’s always a very particular dynamic in which people interact with the system,” says Alessandro Incisa, project manager for Makr Shakr. “And you always have this kind of magical experience when the guest arrives and says, ‘Oh, look at that, there’s a robot on the counter—and it makes drinks!’”

Want to know more facts about this first-at-sea experience? Check out this exclusive video (note:  for best viewing, watch in Google Chrome or in the YouTube app on your smartphone).

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The Bionic Bar: Discover Royal Caribbean's cruise ship robot bartenders

Have you ever had a drink served by a robot? How about a pair of robots? That's the idea behind Royal Caribbean's Bionic Bar, an installation found on several ships in the line's fleet. It offers both classic and custom drinks mixed, shaken and stirred by what looks like something straight out of "The Jetsons."

When it debuted the Bionic Bar, Royal Caribbean was no stranger to groundbreaking bar concepts, having launched its Rising Tide Bar — a levitating watering hole — just a couple of years prior.

The first Bionic Bar rolled out on Quantum of the Seas in 2014, with the metal armlike bartenders going by names like "Shaken" and "Stirred." Since then, the bar has taken up residence on nine ships in the fleet.

Here's what you'll experience during a visit to the Bionic Bar.

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What is Royal Caribbean's Bionic Bar?

The Bionic Bar, developed in partnership with Italian robotics company Makr Shakr, is a bar where the drinks are made by robots — robotic arms, to be exact. They extend from a back wall, where they use shakers to catch liquor dispensed from bottles that hang upside down overhead. Once they've collected all of the requested ingredients from an order, they shake and rotate the metal cups before dumping them, unceremoniously and often sloppily, into plastic ones.

Although many passengers have criticized the bar for taking jobs from real people, crew members still need to clean the area and replenish bottles of spirits as they run low.

The Bionic Bar is a place you'd likely visit once, just to say you did it, rather than a bar that you'd go back to again and again. It piques cruisers' interest for sure, but once the gimmick has worn off, you'll find better-made drinks — and obviously more friendly, personalized service — elsewhere on board.

There can also be a bit of a backlog at peak times, which can make for a frustrating experience.

Royal Caribbean Bionic Bar menu

Since there is no human bartender, the Bionic Bar takes drink orders via tablet-style screens. You can select both preprogrammed options or create your own.

The latter allows you to choose the type of alcohol and mixers you want, how strong you want your drink to be (single or double shot, for example), whether you want ice, and whether you'd like it shaken or stirred. That means the possibilities are nearly endless.

How much do drinks cost at the Bionic Bar?

Prices for drinks at the bionic bar depend on what you order. The more expensive the alcohol you choose and the more ingredients you include, the pricier your beverage will likely be.

If you don't have a beverage package, you'll pay per drink. If you have an Ultimate Beverage Package, which covers drinks up to $14 each, most options will be covered.

Simply swipe your card, type in what you'd like to drink and wait for one of the two robotic arms to do its thing. When your drink is done, scan your card at the counter to have it slid to you. (Expect some spillage.)

Which Royal Caribbean ships have the Bionic Bar?

You can find the Bionic Bar on the following Royal Caribbean ships :

• Anthem of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Spectrum of the Seas
• Symphony of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas

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The first Makr Shakr prototype, created by MIT Senseable City Lab, The Coca Cola Company and Bacardi Rum, was unveiled in 2013 at Google I/O in San Francisco. The robots’ movements were modeled on the choreography of Marco Pelle, to provide an engaging bar experience.

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Cruising with Robot Bartenders

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Royal Caribbean's  Anthem of the Seas  features robotic bartenders created by Makr Shakr. These robots can muddle, stir, shake, and strain your drink to perfection. The cocktail combinations are endless with 30 different spirits and 20 different mixers.  The next great adventure has arrived in NYC. It's time you experience #AnthemoftheSeas

June 2023 – Introducing the ultimate 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaway, Royal Caribbean International’s Utopia of the Seas . The new vacation is the first game-changing Oasis Class ship to debut with short getaways, setting the stage to make more memories in one short trip than ever before. Groups of friends and families can celebrate with unmatched weekend energy across all-new and returning experiences, more than 40 ways to dine and drink, more pools than the days to count, thrills and ways to chill, and more of all the above at Perfect Day at CocoCay – Royal Caribbean’s private island in The Bahamas – on every cruise. Utopia debuts July 2024 from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, and will set sail every Friday and Monday year-round.

MSC Cruises' newest ship will have a robot bartender that can make any drink you want — meet Rob

• MSC Cruises' new MSC Virtuosa ship will feature Rob, a robot bartender.
• Like any human bartender, Rob can create custom drinks or one of its 16 signature cocktails.
• The spaceship-inspired bar and its robot bartender took almost six years to create, MSC said. 

We've seen robot smoothie makers , hamburger flippers , and salad crafters . Now, MSC Cruises has unveiled Rob, a humanoid robot bartender.

Many cruise lines may have hit the pause button on major sailings , but that's not stopping them from designing innovative features that will be showcased on trips once the industry gets back to full steam. This includes MSC Cruises, which created Rob for its newest Virtuosa ship. 

The animatronic mixologist will be stationed in the Virtuosa's MSC Starship Club and MSC Starliner One, the new ship's spaceship-inspired bar. 

Rob's conception came from the desire to use new technology to create a novel onboard space, specifically a "futuristic immersive entertainment lounge," according to the cruise line . And nothing says "futuristic" like a robot bartender working in a space decorated with holograms and digital art.

MSC Cruises has been creating Rob and the MSC Starship Club for almost six years, well before COVID-19 and the resulting emphasis on contactless amenities.

To create the unique space, the cruise line worked with people specializing in interior design, robots, automation, and "entertainment and digital experience."

Just like any human bartender, Rob will be in charge of creating both boozy or non-alcoholic beverages, whether it be one of its 16 signature cocktails or a personalized drink.

Guests interested in a Rob-made cocktail can order their drinks at a "digital cockpit." Rob will then prepare every component of the order — from pouring to garnishing — using some of its over 40 ingredients.

The cocktails will be served in souvenir glasses. If you're feeling impatient, you can check the status of your order using the "ticker-tape-style" LED monitor above the bar.

Rob can also interact with the its patrons with its expressive face and a conversation.

Rob can speak eight languages, allowing international patrons to order and converse with the robot in their preferred language.

The robot's personality also changes in response to its surroundings, according to MSC Cruises.

Besides Rob, the bar will also feature an interactive 12-seat table that lets patrons "explore space." All of this can be experienced on the MSC Virtuosa, which will be setting sail in April.

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MSC Cruises First Humanoid Robotic Bartender at Sea

MSC Cruises have provided details of the immersive, futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea . The MSC Starship Club will be exclusively available onboard the line’s newest flagship, MSC Virtuosa , when she enters service in April 2021.

Also Watch: MSC Seashore – Cruise Ship Preview (2021)

The integrated bar and entertainment experience is inspired by MSC Cruises’ vision of the spaceship of the future. MSC Starliner One is enabled by state-of-the-art technologies to create a futuristic atmosphere with 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seat infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the opportunity to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour. Rob will mix and serve his signature cocktails — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, while engaging with and speaking to guests and using human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience. Rob’s skills and emotional responsiveness, combined with bartenders dressed as if straight out of a sci-fi movie and immersive technology, create a must-visit attraction for all ages at the MSC Starship Club.

Guests will use specifically designed vertical digital cockpits in the area to place their order. Rob will then get to work and use all of his customized robotic skills to prepare the cocktails — pouring spirits, juices and syrups; shaking, building or stirring the concoctions; and garnishing. Rob can not only prepare an impressive range of cocktails, but also speak eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese), according to the language chosen when the guest places an order. He also has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding setting and atmosphere, using his LED face to convey emotion so guests can enjoy his performance while sipping their cocktails.

The status of the cocktail preparation will be displayed through digital monitors and a ticker-tape- style LED strip above the robotic island while guests are immersed in the space-themed experience. The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic glasses for guests to collect as lasting souvenirs of the MSC Starship Club experience. Cruisers will be able to return to the club multiple times over the course of their cruise, experiencing a new interaction with Rob each time.

The MSC Starship Club has been nearly six years in the making since the first original concept, and the Company has pushed boundaries with the engineering that has gone into making this a reality. During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.

MSC Cruises has been developing many new onboard technologies over the past several years to assist in making the cruise experience better for their guests. MSC For Me, utilizes smartphone apps, wristbands and onboard portals to create seamless interactions with crew, guests and services. They also launched their virtual personal cruise assistant ZOE in 2019, to bring advanced voice recognition into every stateroom onboard their latest ships MSC Bellissima, MSC Grandiosa and MSC Virtuosa.

For more details on MSC Starship Club and MSC Virtuosa, visit MSC Cruises website .

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Bottoms up: the robot bartender serving up drinks on MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is introducing the first humanoid robot bartender at sea into a new bar concept called the Starship Club. We speak to project head Luca Pronzati to discover the challenges they faced delivering such a unique concept during a pandemic.

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Travel giant MSC Cruises have just welcomed their newest member of staff on their latest ship, MSC Virtuosa. Luca Pronzati, the Chief Business Innovation Officer at MSC Cruises, is delighted to announce the opening of the new Starship Club, and to ensure that Rob the bartender robot was ready to start tirelessly serving passengers, before the ship starts her inaugural season in the UK.

MSC Cruises have also been able to open sales for three, four and seven-night cruises on the state-of-the-art ship. Originally the ship would have been Mediterranean bound, but with the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing and domestic travel opening in the UK, Virtuosa will join other cruise liners to offer new itineraries in the British Isles from May.

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Although sister ship MSC Grandiosa – also a “Meraviglia Plus” class of ship – has been operating off the coast of Italy from Genoa, after a year of almost no sailings and uncertainty, this is clearly welcome news.

“I’m very happy that we made it and that we’re ready to welcome the first guests on board,” Pronzati says.

Developing a humanoid robot barman for cruise

The project to develop Rob – which is believed to be the world’s first humanoid robot bartender at sea – started in 2015. A pandemic and the ensuing global shutdown was not accounted for in the project timeline, but Pronzati calls the creation of Rob his best achievement.

“This is not me, it’s my team and all of us together,” he says. “Being able to progress in such a hard time of our lives has been a huge challenge. It’s still quite unbelievable that we were able to do it.”

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The journey started with Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago’s zeal for technology. “He’s always passionate about technology and innovation as a way of elevating the customer experience,” explains Pronzati, which led them to look at the potential of robotic automation as a way of offering something new and different on board.

“An express request from Mr Vago was not only to have an industrial robotic arm shaking cocktails,” he explains. “He really wanted to go a step further into robotics and automation and have a humanoid which could offer a kind of humanoid to human interaction, elevating the bar experience.”

As well as a voice, Rob needed to be a fully-functional barman, and show his sympathetic ear with facial expressions and a personality. For inspiration, the team started by researching the technology around Royal Caribbean’s Bionic Bar, which has two mechanical arms that make drinks to order.

It was clear to them that creating a human-like operation was poles apart from an automation perspective. “It’s a completely different challenge,” he says.

The challenge of finding the right partners

The journey to understanding how to create a robotic barman with two arms, a body and a head led them to the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), in Genoa.

“They have developed, I think, the most sophisticated robot on the earth today, called the iCub,” says Pronzati, who himself studied robotics in Genoa.

The iCub is the size of a five-year-old child, and can sit, walk and manipulate objects. However, the team soon realised that the robot was so sophisticated that it would not work for a commercial cruise ship setting. Yet the experience provided inspiration and they learned about “the limitations and peculiarities” that had to be taken into consideration.

While researching other avenues, the team had an approach back from IIT. “They were interested to translate the complexity back down into a commercial application that could be delivered on the ship,” explains Pronzati. For the next 18 months they worked together to develop a potential humanoid.

“It was very challenging, we were progressing quite significantly, but the complexity came up when we had to close the deal,” he says. “Being a scientific institution and not a private company they were really struggling to be in a position to offer a service to a private company who will, for example, go over the weekend for maintenance and support.”

With 2,421 staterooms and a capacity for 6,334 guests – as well as five pools, 19 decks, 11 restaurants and 20 other bars – MSC Virtuosa is an enormous operation. As one of the star attractions on the new ship, maintenance and round-the-clock support for Rob and the Starship Club is vital.

“The Italian Institute of Technology doesn’t do this kind of job,” Pronzati continues, “it’s a completely different organisation.”

Unfortunately, IIT and MSC Cruises had to part ways. “I cannot say this was negative,” Pronzati says. “I think this is part of the process and of the progress we’ve made over the years.”

Progressing with partners in a pandemic

After scouting other companies, Pronzati explains that they were able to deliver the experience by combining the expertise of several stakeholders who were involved in different areas. These included Japanese company Kawasaki Robotics, a specialist in robotic automation, and Siena-based Mainit, which develops, manufactures and installs humanoid robots.

The project was progressing well until Covid-19 arrived in Italy last February. “We were not prepared at all, it has been one of the biggest challenges,” Pronzati says. “Since the first lockdown we had to immediately switch to remote working and when you’re having to deal with physical objects it is not the easiest of tasks.”

It was only possible to keep going due to the effort Ponzati’s team made to overcome the setbacks. They were adapting and operating out of their own apartments in order to push ahead with the different activities and one team member had to set up a data centre at home so they could continue with the software development testing.

Creating Rob’s human personality

Finding a human-like personality for Rob was another significant challenge, because as well as being charming and welcoming, they wanted to make him funny. While he can’t reply to guests – this simply isn’t possible in a loud, crowded bar environment – he can speak eight languages.

It was important to find the right tone of voice for each of the languages. They also decided to alter Rob’s personality so it would change throughout the day and programmed his speech to match the expressions on his LED-screen face. The team worked with several different companies to find the right voices, expressions and interactions.

To ensure that Rob’s shaking, stirring and mixing of the cocktails was carried out with the right precision, they brought in an expert barman and fitted him with sensors. “The sensors gathered thousands of pieces of data which were used when programming Rob to ensure that his shaking, shirring and mixing was done with the same force to expertly create the cocktails, just as if they had been made by hand,” says Pronzati.

An immersive inter-galactic experience

In addition to Rob the humanoid robot, the experience at the Starship Club is made up of a network of digital touchpoints that are designed to immerse guests in a vision of the spaceship of the future.

These include 3D holograms projecting futuristic advertisements, an outer space weather forecast and an interactive “infinity” table where guests can explore the solar system or play arcade games.

At an ordering station, guests can request a personalised or a ‘Galactic’ cocktail, which is not available anywhere else on the ship, and takes Rob just two minutes to conjure. Having just experienced a couple of cocktails made by Rob for himself, Pronzati confirms that the experience is very nice and immersive.

“It is another great achievement for the team,” he says, confirming that over 30 stakeholders have been involved overall to create the experience.

“At the start of the pandemic we were in shock because we didn’t know how to move forward, but our different operational model has been successful – you need to have the right people and the right partners.”

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Cruise Line Unveils First Humanoid Robotic Bartender on a Ship

Rob, the first humanoid, robotic bartender at sea, will be the feature in the MSC Starship Club and exclusively on MSC Virtuosa.

Rob will mix and serve his signature cocktails — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, while engaging with and speaking to guests and using human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience.

Rob can not only prepare an impressive range of cocktails, but also speak eight languages, according to the language chosen when the guest places an order. He also has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding setting and atmosphere, using his LED face to convey emotion so guests can enjoy his performance while sipping their cocktails.

The status of the cocktail preparation will be displayed through digital monitors and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island while guests are immersed in the space-themed experience.

The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic glasses for guests to collect as lasting souvenirs of the MSC Starship Club experience. Cruisers will be able to return to the club multiple times over the course of their cruise, experiencing a new interaction with Rob each time.

MSC Cruises is constantly looking to the future to continuously innovate the guest experience and seek out new ways to employ the latest technology to create something unique and elevate the onboard offering.

This latest innovation uses cutting-edge robotics and digital technologies to deliver a futuristic, immersive entertainment lounge, completely re-imagining the traditional bar experience to transport guests to another world.

The MSC Starship Club has been nearly six years in the making since the first original concept, and the Company has pushed boundaries with the engineering that has gone into making this a reality.

During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.

MSC Virtuosa is the line’s newest flagship and will come into service in April 2021. Each MSC Cruises ship is unique, and MSC Virtuosa in particular will feature new experiences for guests, with the introduction of Rob being just one of them. The ship will also be highly equipped with cutting-edge technologies and environmentally conscious capabilities.

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Home » News » Meet Rob, the world’s first humanoid robotic bartender at sea

Meet Rob, the world’s first humanoid robotic bartender at sea

MSC Cruises has revealed details of its immersive, futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid robotic bartender at sea.

The MSC Starship Club will be exclusively available on board the cruise line’s newest flagship, MSC Virtuosa , when she comes into service from 16 April 2020.

This integrated bar and entertainment experience, inspired by MSC’s vision of the spaceship of the future, is enabled by state-of-the-art technologies designed to create a futuristic atmosphere.

This includes 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the possibility to explore space with their own personalised galactic tour.

Rob will mix and serve his signature cocktails (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), along with countless other personalised drinks – just like a human bartender would do – while engaging the guests with his voice and human-like expressions.

Guests will use specifically designed vertical digital cockpits within the area to place their order. Rob will then get to work and use all of his customised robotic skills to prepare the cocktails – pouring spirits, juices and syrups; shaking, stirring and garnishing.

Not only does Rob prepare an impressive range of cocktails, but he can speak eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese), and he also has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding settings and atmospheres.

He uses his LED face to convey emotion so that guests can enjoy his performance while they sip on their cocktail.

The status of the cocktail preparation will be displayed through digital monitors within the area and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island, while being immersed in the space-themed experience.

The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic glasses that guests can collect as a lasting souvenir of the MSC Starship Club experience.

Guests will be able to return to the club multiple times over the course of their cruise, experiencing a new interaction with Rob each time.

The MSC Starship Club has been nearly six years in the making, since the first original concept.

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• MSC Cruises introduces first bartender-robot at sea on flagship...

MSC Cruises introduces first bartender-robot at sea on flagship MSC Virtuosa

Passengers on MSC Cruises ’ flagship MSC Virtuosa will be served by a futuristic robot bartender named Rob.

The humanoid barman will serve guests at the MSC Starship Club (MSC Starliner One Bar/spaceship-themed) venue when the vessel enters service on April 16, 2021.

The “integrated bar and entertainment experience” features a cold-white ceiling, a digital art wall, 3D holographic projections and a 12-seat digital (touchscreen) table for guests to enjoy personalized interactive galactic tours.

The robot bartender (Rob) will mix and serve cocktails while moving his body, head and arms (shaking-stirring-garnishing-pouring drinks) in a natural way, “engaging the guests with his voice, human-like expressions”. His LED face can express emotions. The humanoid barman speaks 8 languages - Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese. He will be joined by bartenders “dressed as if they had just stepped out of a sci-fi movie”.

Between making and serving beverages, Rob will interact with the passengers, change his facial expressions, even dance and tell jokes. Orders will be placed in vertical digital cockpits and the drinks will be served in futuristic, custom-made (MSC branded) souvenir glasses. The humanoid bartender can prepare a total of 16 "cosmic cocktails" (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) plus personalized (made-to-order) drinks using 40+ ingredients.

MSC has worked for 6 years with experts from companies specializing in entertainment experiences, digital solutions, robotics, automation, and interior design to create this unique venue and its humanoid barman.

After completing 3-4-5-night cruises in the Mediterranean, Virtuosa will be deployed to Northern Europe for the summer, with a range of Norwegian Fjords and Baltic itineraries.

Meet Rob, the First Humanoid Robot Bartender at Sea from MSC Cruises

• February 11, 2021

MSC Cruises has revealed details about its futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea.

According to a press release, the MSC Starship Club will be exclusively available onboard the line’s newest flagship MSC Virtuosa, which will be in service from Apr. 16, 2021.

“This integrated bar and entertainment experience … includes 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the possibility to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour,” the cruise line wrote.

According to MSC, Rob will mix and serve his signature cocktails – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – and various personalized drinks, while engaging the guests with his human-like expressions for a “fully immersive bar experience.”

“Rob’s skills and emotional responsiveness combined with bartenders dressed as if they had just stepped out of a sci-fi movie supported by the immersive surroundings and technology will ensure that the MSC Starship Club is a must-visit attraction for all ages,” MSC announced.

To order drinks, guests will have to use “specifically designed vertical digital cockpits.”

“Rob will then get to work and use all of his customized robotic skills to prepare the cocktails – pouring spirits, juices and syrups; shaking, building or stirring the concoctions; garnishing,” the cruise line wrote.

Preparing drinks is not Rob’s only talent. He can speak an impressive eight languages – English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese – according to the language chosen when the guest makes the order.

“(H)e also has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding settings and atmospheres. He uses his LED face to convey emotion so that guests can enjoy his performance whilst they sip on their cocktail,” MSC stated.

The status of the cocktail preparation will be displayed through digital monitors within the area and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island, the cruise line wrote.

“The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic glasses that can be collected as a lasting souvenir of the MSC Starship Club experience. Guests will be able to return to the club multiple times over the course of their cruise, experiencing a new interaction with Rob each time,” the cruise line explained.

According to MSC, the Starship Club took six years to make.

“(T)he Company has really pushed the boundaries with the engineering that has gone into making this a reality,” MSC wrote. “During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.”

After completing a few three-, four- and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean from April 2021 onwards, the MSC Virtuosa will be deployed to Northern Europe in summer 2021 with a range of itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.

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Futuristic cruise ship has robot bartenders that can make 1,000 drinks a day

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Fancy a dAIquiri? How about a Manhattandroid or a Cyborg Sling?

When you’re at Royal Caribbean’s Bionic Bar, every drink you order has a robot theme, as they have their own crew of cocktail-making automatons that can whip you up what you want in a matter of seconds.

The cruise company features robotic bartenders on nine of its 28 ships, with two Makr Shakr machines in each Bionic Bar shaking and stirring up to 1,000 drinks every day.

The mechanical arms can produce two drinks every 60 seconds, with ‘an almost endless combination’ of cocktails and mocktails ranging from classics and signature serves to design-your-own options.

Passengers can choose from 30 spirits and 21 mixers (including sugar, mint and citrus fruits) and order on a tablet near the counter.

You can even select how strong you’d like your drink, whether you want ice, and how exactly you’d like it prepared.

The robots will then collect the requested ingredients, mix everything together and dispense into a glass, which the customer picks up or is delivered to their table by a human waiter.

While you wait, an interactive wall above the bar displays fun statistics about your order, as well as how many people are in the queue and what the robot mixologists are currently working on.

There’s no time or drink limit here, and cocktails are priced similarly to other bars on board. Better still, if you’ve purchased an unlimited Royal Caribbean drinks package, every futuristic tipple you enjoy is included free of charge.

It’s worth bearing in mind, the Bionic Bars can get busy at peak times, so there may be a slight wait. For a dram with a difference, however, it’s well worth a visit.

Don’t worry about this tech taking crew’s jobs either: even though they’re machines, they’re not perfect, and human staff members are required to refill empty bottles and mop up the occasional spill.

Which Royal Caribbean ships have a Bionic Bar?

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Royal Caribbean has been shortlisted for the Sailawaze Excellence Awards in the technology category, both for its Bionic Bar concept and a range of other cool features.

Alongside a crowd-busting elevator system (where passengers can input the floor they want into a touchpad and then be shown to the right lift with room left that gets them to their destination quickest) its ships also feature the world’s largest kinetic art sculpture, The Pearl.

In terms of entertainment, robots double up as diving boards and set creators in the high-octane Aqua Action show, with a double 3D flying system that catapults divers, slackliners and aerial performers around the AquaDome for maximum wow factor.

Up against Royal Caribbean in the category there’s some stiff competition.

Scenic’s nomination is all about the world’s first Discovery Yachts: Built for up to 228 passengers, and exploration equipment that features two helicopters, a submersible, Zodiacs, kayaks and paddleboards.

Princess Cruises is nominated for its Medallion, a small wearable device that streamlines embarkation processes, unlocks cabin doors and offers personalised service. Travellers can participate in interactive games and activities, and easily locate friends and family using the Medallion app, too.

Then there’s MSC Cruises’ Helios Wine Bar, which features state-of-the-art multi-touch tables activated by digital coasters where you can learn about and taste 96 featured wines. It also boasts the longest LED dome at sea on MSC Euribia, with virtual reality experiences (Formula Racer VR race, flight simulator, VR motorbikes) and interactive cinema.

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Meet Rob, MSC Cruises’ New Robot Bartender

When MSC Virtuosa was delivered to MSC Cruises earlier this month, company chairman  Pierfrancesco Vago hailed the ship’s technological advancements, including the world’s first humanoid bartender at sea. Today the cruise line released more details about that robot and we can’t wait to meet him! 

Rob the Robot Bartender 

Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea can be found at The MSC Starship Club, a futuristic experience found only on  MSC Virtuosa .  The bar and entertainment venue is inspired by MSC Cruises’ vision of the spaceship of the future. The spaceship, called MSC Starliner One, features state-of-the-art technologies to create a futuristic atmosphere with 3D holograms, digital art wall and a 12-seat infinity digital interactive table, giving passengers the opportunity to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour. 

MSC Starliner One | Photo: MSC Cruises

Rob has the ability to serve up drinks — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — including his own signature cocktails. Not only is he a mixologist, but he can also chat with guests with a clear personality and display human facial expressions. Oh yeah, he also speaks eight languages. 

Guests will use specifically designed vertical digital cockpits to place their drink order. Rob will then use all of his custom robotic skills to prepare the cocktails — pouring spirits, juices and syrups; shaking, building or stirring the concoctions; and garnishing. Guests follow the progress of their order on digital monitors and a ticker-tape style LED strip above the robotic island. In line with current health and safety protocol, the human bar menu is accessible scanning a QR code from the Guest’s smartphone as well as reading the futuristic LED-based bar counter menus.

For those who aren’t ready to jump head first into the future, there are human bartenders working as well to mix up off-the-menu cocktails for those with particular tastes. 

MSC Virtuosa will sail for the first time in April 2021. The ship will begin with three, four and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean before moving to Northern Europe in summer 2021 on itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.

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MSC Cruise line reveals 'humanoid' robot bartender for new ship

Msc starship club will be available exclusively on the msc virtuosa.

Ports hampered by pandemic without cruises

Cruises have been cancelled since last march, resulting in over 100,000 Americans losing their jobs per a November report. Florida has been especially hard hit with the state being home to the three busiest cruise ports in the world.

Robots may be able to pour drinks , but can they listen to your troubles?

The future of bartending is coming to MSC Cruises’ new flagship ship when the MSC Virtuosa launches later this year. The cruise line recently revealed details of its "immersive, futuristic" bar and entertainment experience – including a "humanoid" bartender.

MSC Virtuosa's bar, called the MSC Starship Club, will be anchored by Rob, who the company calls the "first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender" on the high seas. (MSC Cruises)

Virtuosa's bar, called the MSC Starship Club, will be anchored by Rob, who the company calls the "first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender" on the high seas.

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" Rob will mix, and serve his signature cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, whilst engaging the guests with his voice, human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience," the cruise line claimed in a news release.

The MSC Starship Club, itself inspired by a "spaceship of the future," will be available exclusively on the Virtuosa, set to launch on April 16. Beyond the drink-serving robot, the bar and entertainment area will feature futuristic elements like 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and an infinity digital interactive table.

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According to the release, Rob will be able to "convey emotion," although it does not specify which emotions Rob has been programmed to express. When it comes to serving spirits,  the robot will reportedly be able to handle a variety of operations, such as pouring liquids including spirits, juices and syrups. He will also be able to build drinks, shake glasses and garnish beverages.

As if Rob wasn't impressive enough, the robot bartender will also be able to speak eight languages – English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. In the event of any digital delays, there will also be human bartenders on hand to back him up, too.

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Cruise settles with person dragged under one of its robotaxis

SAN FRANCISCO — General Motors-owned self-driving car company Cruise reached a multimillion-dollar settlement this week with the pedestrian that was dragged by one of its cars in October.

Fortune first reported the settlement, which The Washington Post independently confirmed. Cruise paid the victim between $8 million and $12 million, according to Bloomberg News .

The incident, where a woman was hit by a human-driven car and knocked into the path of the Cruise, which then dragged her for 20 feet before stopping, contributed to the company being blocked from operating in San Francisco and halting its operations around the country for months.

“The hearts of all Cruise employees continue to be with the pedestrian, and we hope for her continued recovery,” a spokesperson for Cruise said. The Post has been unable to reach the victim or her lawyer.

Before the crash, Cruise’s autonomous cars had been a common sight on the streets of San Francisco. They were open to the public, and many people used an app to hail a ride, just like a passenger might with Uber or Lyft. But the company suspended its operations after its car dragged the woman for 20 feet at roughly 7 miles an hour, after another car flung her into its path. The human driver who initially hit the woman fled the scene. The pedestrian was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The company initially told reporters that the car had stopped just after rolling over the pedestrian, but the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates permits for self-driving cars, later said Cruise had covered up the truth that its car actually kept going and dragged the woman.

The crash and the questions about what Cruise knew and disclosed to investigators led to a firestorm of scrutiny on the company. Cruise pulled its vehicles off roads countrywide, laid off a quarter of its staff and in November its CEO Kyle Vogt stepped down . The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the company, adding to a probe from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In Cruise’s absence, Google’s Waymo self-driving cars have become the only robotaxis operating in San Francisco.

But Cruise has begun its comeback. On Monday, the company said it would start driving in Phoenix again, with human safety drivers in the vehicles. And in June, the company’s president and chief technology officer Mohamed Elshenawy is slated to speak at a conference on artificial-intelligence quality in San Francisco.

Cruise founder Kyle Vogt is back with a robot startup

Kyle Vogt, the former founder and CEO of self-driving car company Cruise, has a new VC-backed robotics startup focused on household chores.

Vogt announced Monday that the new startup, called the Bot Company, has raised $150 million from former GitHub CEO and investor Nat Friedman, Pioneer founder and investor Daniel Gross, Spark Capital general partner Nabeel Hyatt, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, Stripe co-founder John Collison and Quiet Capital.

Vogt founded the startup with Paril Jain, who led the AI tech team at Tesla, and former Cruise software engineer Luke Holoubek.

“We’re building bots that do chores so you don’t have to. Everyone is busy. Bots can help,” Vogt wrote on social media X . “So many things compete for our time — commutes, longer working hours, and the complexities of modern life. Our team has spent years building robots (including the self-driving kind) that give people some of that time back, and we’re taking that a step further with this company.”

Vogt did not respond to a request for comment.

The new endeavor comes five months after Vogt resigned as CEO of Cruise , the autonomous vehicle startup that he founded in 2013 and was later acquired by General Motors. His resignation followed an October 2 incident that saw a Cruise vehicle run over and drag a pedestrian 20 feet, after the pedestrian had been hit by a human-driven car. The event, coupled with the company’s response, prompted California regulators to suspend Cruise’s deployment and driverless testing permits, effectively  ending its robotaxi operations  in the state where the bulk of its operations were located.

Since his resignation, Vogt has maintained a relatively low public profile. His return, however, shouldn’t surprise those who have followed his career. Prior to Cruise, Vogt had co-founded Justin.tv, a website that allowed anyone to broadcast video online; it later morphed into Twitch, a live-streaming platform acquired by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million. He also founded Socialcam, which was acquired by Autodesk for $60 million in 2012.

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General Motors' self-driving car subsidiary Cruise is inching closer to restarting its driverless robo taxi business after halting all services and recalling its vehicles late last year.

The company said Monday it will begin supervised autonomous driving in Phoenix on Tuesday. The news comes after Cruise announced in April that it would reintroduce a small fleet of human-driven vehicles starting in Phoenix.

Cruise had stopped operations about six months ago after an incident in October in San Francisco, where the company is headquartered. A vehicle hit a pedestrian, pushing her into an oncoming Cruise self-driving car, which then dragged her several feet, leaving the woman critically injured.

GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said the automaker believes Cruise is ready to relaunch because Cruise has been constantly updating its performance, using real road data and simulated scenarios. The company has made ongoing improvements in how the cars maneuver around pedestrians, emergency vehicles and construction areas, he said.

"Safety is the defining principle for everything we do and continues to guide our progress toward resuming driverless operations," Morrissey said. "From comprehensive vehicle management before our AVs depart the garage to continuous driver monitoring and roadworthiness of the vehicle, we deploy rigorous safety procedures, protocols and performance requirements to ensure supervised autonomous operations are safe for operation on public roads."

Morrissey also said having a new chief safety officer is an important step, a role filled by Steve Kenner, who has updated safety procedures, protocols and community relationships. Cruise is following recommendations from third-party experts and building a close partnership with the communities in which it plans to operate.

The company said Monday in a blog post that for the past several weeks  Cruise has been mapping and collecting road information  in Phoenix with human drivers at the wheel. The next step is to validate the autonomous vehicles' safety and performance. During this phase, the vehicles will drive autonomously with a human safety driver present to take control if needed. Cruise uses modified Chevrolet Bolt electric cars that have steering wheels and brakes.

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"Supervised autonomous driving is a critical validation phase prior to driverless deployment and builds on our extensive work in simulation, closed-course driving and more than 5 million driverless miles previously driven by our fleet to ensure safe performance on real-world roads and driving scenarios," Morrissey said in an emailed statement. "We’ll begin in a limited area of Phoenix and will gradually expand to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler measured against predetermined safety benchmarks."

A Cruise competitor, Waymo, which is Alphabet's self-driving startup, has been operating and expanding services in Phoenix for several years. It recently began offering driverless rides on freeways in Phoenix.

As the  Free Press has reported , GM has invested about $8 billion in Cruise since 2016. Cruise leaders had at one point promised to deliver $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025, but the subsidiary has not made any money yet. Last month, GM CEO Mary Barra reiterated to Wall Street that the relaunch of Cruise safely, "while delivering strong margins and cash flows," is a top priority for GM this year. 

More: GM's Cruise offers a settlement to California regulators over pedestrian accident

GM CFO Paul Jacobson has said the company expects to spend $1.7 billion on Cruise operations this year, down slightly from GM’s spend on Cruise in previous years of around $2 billion.

The fallout from that Oct. 2 accident has resulted in regulators  suspending Cruise  from further operations in San Francisco. That was followed by Cruise opting to suspend  all its operations  nationwide. Cruise has since fired nine executives and cut  about 24% or 900 full-time employees  from its workforce. Cruise  CEO Kyle Vogt  and co-founder and Chief Product Officer Dan Kan resigned, and Barra said in November that  GM will be making "substantially lower spending"  on Cruise in 2024 than it did in 2023.

GM leaders remain firm that the automaker still supports Cruise's mission.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau:  [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter  @ jlareauan . Read more on  General Motors  and sign up for our  autos newsletter .  Become a subscriber .

Cruise Cofounder Kyle Vogt Raised $150 Million For Household Robot Startup

Vogt, who resigned from the self-driving car company amid a crisis just six months ago, landed a $550 million valuation for a new company which wants to sell robots for personal uses like cleaning your house.

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Kyle Vogt cofounded Twitch and Cruise, two companies that achieved billion-dollar exits in sales to Amazon and General Motors, respectively.

Kyle Vogt, who resigned as CEO of embattled robotaxi company Cruise six months ago, has raised $150 million in funding for a new robotics startup, sources told Forbes .

Pitched to investors under the name The Bot Company, the new startup’s post-money valuation is $550 million, two of the people said. Major investors on the round include Spark Capital and Nat Friedman, the former GitHub CEO who now runs a large AI-focused fund , per four sources.

Vogt, who has a pair of billion-dollar exits as cofounder of live streaming service Twitch (to Amazon in 2014 ) and Cruise (to General Motors in 2016 ), cofounded the new company with Luke Holoubek, a former Cruise engineer and technical advisor, and Paril Jain, a longtime Tesla AI employee. Jain was most recently a leader on the team in charge of the autopilot system on Tesla vehicles.

Vogt declined a request for comment, while Spark and Friedman had not responded at the time of publication.

The startup is making a play at building hardware and software for at-home robots that can do things like housekeeping and laundry, six sources said. The company is considering human-shaped robots, as well as other form factors, according to a source with direct knowledge. The business idea involves selling the robots directly to consumers, and giving users the ability to shape the robot’s functionalities and features by submitting requests through a Discord-like chat server, according to three people. That could be subject to change, per two sources, as the months-old company pitched investors primarily on a conceptual vision and is not yet generating revenue. But the founders’ pedigree working on self-driving vehicles at Cruise and Tesla has direct applicability to the technical challenge behind standalone robots, industry observers said.

In tackling robotics, Vogt is entering a field which has benefitted from a dramatic investment boom in recent months. Venture capitalists are increasingly betting that the performance improvements AI has seen in the last two years for generating text, image, videos and audio will also carry over to the physical world in the shape of robots.

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary so far is Figure AI, which in January announced a collaboration with BMW and the following month landed a $2.6 billion valuation from the likes of Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI and Jeff Bezos. Though none of its humanoid robots have been deployed and Forbes observed during a recent interview at company offices that they still struggle to walk reliably, cofounder Brett Adcock said he expected his robots to be on the production line at a BMW auto factory in 12 to 18 months.

While the robotics sector is still in its infancy, a growing number of companies are tackling different parts of the technology, with venture capitalists taking bets on what part of the robot tech stack will be most valuable. Companies like Figure and 1X, which raised $100 million in January, are attempting to build general purpose hardware and software. Some like Physical Intelligence (raised $70 million in March) and Skild (in talks for $300 million, per The Information ) are focusing on just the software. Others are building smaller, non-humanoid robots, like Collaborative Robotics, which raised $100 million last month. Like Vogt’s consumer-oriented venture, others are making vertical plays, as with Agility Robotics, though it’s focusing on industrial use cases.

The company is a fresh start for Vogt, who’s long been interested in robotics. As a grade schooler in Kansas, he competed on the robot combat TV show BattleBots. While at MIT, he interned at iRobot, creator of the Roomba. He came aboard at Twitch after pitching the other cofounders on a live-streaming camera, Vox reported . He left to start Cruise in 2013, spending two stints as CEO — first pre-acquisition, then again in 2021.

Under Vogt’s stewardship, Cruise moved fast to scale up its self-driving operations as it raced against rivals like Alphabet subsidiary Waymo. That drew ire over safety concerns from critics until matters bubbled over in October 2023 when a Cruise vehicle “ dragged ” a pedestrian for 20 feet, sending her to the emergency room in critical condition. In the subsequent weeks, the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked Cruise’s permits ; the company voluntarily paused other operations in Arizona and Texas; and GM halted production of a Cruise autonomous van that had been in the works for years.

Vogt resigned his post in November. Since then, a California judge said Cruise had “misled” a state regulatory agency about the October incident. In January, Cruise published the findings of an independent investigation by law firm Quinn Emanuel which determined that the company’s “failings” could be attributed to reasons including “poor leadership” and “a fundamental misapprehension of Cruise’s obligations of accountability and transparency to the government and the public.” On Monday, the company announced it was resuming operations in Arizona with a human driver in each car to monitor safety.

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