Students at Harvey Mudd College have invented the Bar Monkey, an automated bartender that mixes drinks based on recipes stored on an embedded Linux system.
Using these 16 ingredients, a total of 188 different drinks can be made, with the included ability to add ounce increments of each ingredient to customize (or create) a drink. The drink database is easy to update and nearly infinitely expandable.
Customers of legal age sign up for a user account, for which they are assigned a unique, 5-digit, hexadecimal PIN. The account is debit-based, with each drink charging the customer at cost for the drink they are purchasing, automatically deducting from their account balance.
All told, the project took about 3 months and $235 to complete. It is worth mentioning, however, that the LCD (the most expensive single component) was donated (approx. value: $100+), and various other components were otherwise acquired for free. The Bar Monkey was graciously funded by West Dorm HMC, even though we were overbudget by $85. Continual maintenance and occasional improvements are still always a concern…
# Runs a program written in C by Dustin Cooper, in Linux.
# Bartop is approximately four feet above the ground.
# Holds approximately 1.75 liters of each ingredient.
# Uses 16 windshield washer pumps run by a 12V adaptor. Pumps are connected in parallel and run sequentially by the program.
# Dispenses an 8 oz. mixed drink in less than 10 seconds.
# Currently has 30 registered user accounts, with expected rapid growth as people cease being broke.
(via JWZ's LiveJournal)
