Barista Jobs at Risk… Robot Brews 5 Cups of Coffee in 50 Seconds
The development of coffee-making robots has significantly improved with advancements in technologies like artificial intelligence. The “COFE+ Robot” developed by Shanghai HI-DOLPHIN Robotics can prepare a cup of coffee in 50 seconds and make up to 5 cups simultaneously. It can create various specialized coffees, including lattes, cappuccinos, and other specialty coffees from different countries.
The AI-powered coffee maker by Migo can independently complete processes like grinding, steaming, brewing, and cleaning, producing a hand-brewed cup in 4 minutes and up to 300 cups for 1,000 people. Han Fei Zi, the founder of HI-DOLPHIN Robotics, attributes the progress to rapid advancements in AI, automation, IoT, and sensor technology in China.
A Migo employee highlighted the extensive training the AI coffee maker has undergone, including millions of visual data training, 30,000 hours of arm training, and 3,000 hours of AI learning to replicate the manual brewing movements of top baristas, ensuring stable production.
The Migo employee pointed out that traditional manual cafes have high costs (such as labor and rent) and it is difficult to guarantee time and quality, whereas unmanned cafes have significant advantages in lower costs, reduced energy consumption, and high-quality service.
Han Fei Zi said that compared to humans, coffee robots have many advantages. For example, the robot can remember thousands of coffee recipes, which is difficult for a human barista. It can also achieve personalized customization and precise control of caffeine in the coffee cup to prevent customers from feeling unwell due to excessive caffeine intake. Additionally, it can remember the customer’s appearance through a camera to recall their taste and preferences.
The development of humanoid robots is accelerating. Will there be a humanoid robot to prepare coffee in the future? Han Fei Zi believes that humanoid robots are still in the early stages of development. Therefore, in the next 10 years, there may be small-scale demonstrations of humanoid robots making coffee, but for humanoid robots to serve people like human waiters, it should be after 10 years from a safety perspective.
Looking to the future, Han Fei Zi believes that robots can completely replace humans in making coffee, allowing humans to reduce repetitive work and engage in more valuable and fulfilling activities.
However, Zhou Danpeng, a Chinese food industry analyst, said that when we drink coffee, we actually enjoy the process of others making coffee for us. In this process, we can feel the professionalism of the baristas and get satisfaction not only from the product itself but also emotionally. The coffee made by robots may not be able to provide such emotional satisfaction.
From Zhou Danpeng’s perspective, coffee production is relatively simplified and standardized, so coffee-making robots have certain operational capabilities. However, from a comprehensive perspective of capital, industry, and consumption, the operational feasibility of coffee-making robots is not high.
“Made in China” coffee machines are widely welcomed in overseas markets. In 2023, China’s total exports of pump-type coffee machines reached 7.57 billion yuan. Following the footsteps of “Made in China” coffee machines, “Made in China” coffee robots have also spread abroad.
Han Fei Zi explained that “COFE+ Robot” coffee kiosks have been operated in more than 100 locations such as government offices, universities, airports, and tourist attractions and have been exported to more than 30 countries including the United States, Russia, France, Germany, and Italy. The AI-powered coffee maker from Migo is also sold in Southeast Asia, including many cities in Thailand.
A report by Grand View Research in November 2023 predicted that the global coffee market would reach 690.09 billion US dollars by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% during the forecast period. Among them, the Asia-Pacific region will achieve the fastest growth rate between 2023 and 2030, driven by the rapid development of coffee culture in the region.
