This fully automated bionic coffee maker is just like a robot straight from The Jetsons!

If you sometimes feel like a robot before your first cup of coffee, you’re in good company. Without even fully opening my eyes, I get my first cup of coffee going for the morning, and while it brews I get myself ready. On good days, I turn my stove off on time, and on other days, I gulp down a burnt cup of coffee. Coffee is a necessary part of the day for a lot of us and having that perfect cup in the morning might be all we need to get our day off on the right foot. To save us from those ‘other days,’ Beijing’s Orion Star Technology Co. Ltd. recently designed a robotic coffeemaking system, the Zhi Ka Master that was shortlisted at 2021’s iF Design Awards.

Zhi Ka Master is a coffee-making system that employs the use of twin-arm robotics to perform traditional coffee and tea brewing for hand-poured, automated cups of coffee. The entire system comprises a twin-arm, six-axis robot and accompanying work table. Twin-arm robotic systems are typically chosen for their efficient and automated execution of more involved assembly operations. Through bi-manual manipulation, twin-arm robots can perform complicated tasks in a human-like manner. The incorporation of twin-arm robotics for Zhi Ka Master and a bionic profile design equips the robot with enough know-how to stimulate masterful coffee or tea-making methods with the push of a button. A pre-sized and programmed worktable is used to keep all the machines and tools necessary to make any drink on a typical coffee menu.

You’re like me if your coffee order comes with some conditions: an extra shot of espresso please and not too much ice. Rest assured, Zhi Ka Master knows how to receive special input for specific coffee orders that veer from the menu. Through integrated software, Zhi Ka Master can make coffee and tea drinks for specific tastes all without human intervention. So maybe, don’t push that button.

Designer: Orion Star Technology Co. Ltd.

Zhi Ka Master is a six-axis, twin-arm robot coffeemaker.

Integrated software adjusts the robot’s mechanical grip to fit whatever item it grasps.

Through a built-in RGB camera, the robot performs duties and responds to feedback in real-time to ensure safe operation.

Equipped with an emergency stop button, Zhi Ka Master prioritizes safety even before coffee.

Zhi Ka Master occupies a total of only three square meters.

A Caffeine blast from the past

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Since the meteoric rise of instant coffee, people haven’t quite brewed coffee the old-fashioned way in a while. And no, an automated espresso machine using ground coffee isn’t really the old-fashioned way either. The folks at Continuum decided that maybe it was time to bring the Ye Olde style of brewing coffee back. The Crema Coffee Robot 1986, a result of that endeavour, is a coffee pump with an aesthetic that reminds me of Alessi’s old days.

The process is super simple. Raise the piston to expose the filter chamber. Place the coffee grounds in said filter chamber. Next, fill the upper reservoir with piping hot water and clamp down. Lower the lever so that the water is pushed through the ground coffee. Don’t forget to put your cup underneath to gather the espresso, or you’ll be in a steamy mess!

The Crema Coffee Robot 1986 won a Red Dot Award for the year 2015.

Designer: Continuums Ltd.

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