How To Use Science To Get Better Bar Service
How To Get Served Hoakylan via Wikimedia Commons A study on how body language affects who bartenders serve will help teach a robotic barkeep to recognize new customers. There's no better way to combine a love of drinking and a love of technology than by employing the services of a robot bartender. We've seen many a drink-pouring prototype, but to program a truly viable machine bartender that can take orders in a natural setting, scientists have to break down the fundamentals of the bar experience--like when exactly a customer wants to order. A bar is a pretty confusing place for a naive 'bot. There are so many people milling about, only some of whom are actually interested in obtaining another drink at any given point in time. So to figure out what conditions indicate a robot bartender should zoom over and ask someone if they need a refill, the...