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Drip Offers a Perfect Pour-Over by Way of Robotics

07.27.18 | By
Drip Offers a Perfect Pour-Over by Way of Robotics

Robots are already making us hamburgers and bowls with automated consistency, so why not coffee? Bubble Lab’s under-the-counter coffee system Drip aims to bring similar calculated convenience to the realm of coffee with a fully automated pour-over system accessible with the touch of a button.

The Drip system is mesmerizing to watch, especially in tandem as shown above, exhibiting an uncanny similarity to the automated movements of robots utilized within auto factories, but miniaturized for barista activities. The countertop dispenser is engineered to automatically recognize the proximity of a pour-over cone+carafe placed underneath its extended aluminum arm.

Drip calculates the diameter required for precise pour-overs, using a camera and proprietary algorithms to choreograph its movements for the ideal amount of water heated to an optimal temperature to slowly dispense over coffee grounds.

We still prefer preparing coffee by hand, but the theatrics and precision of the Drip makes for a convincing argument that the best barista in the coming years might be draped in aluminum rather than covered in tattoos.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.