Robot bartender at Selfridges

Designed by in-house designers at Asahi Beer to promote the brand, the robotic barman, known as Mr Asahi, can serve beer as draught pints or half pints, and can also de-cap bottles.

Billed as an ‘employer’s dream – a worker with no need for a loo break’ – the aim for Mr Asahi is apparently to allow drinkers to be served faster.

A bar wait can take up to 15 minutes, while the robotic barman serves customers in two minutes, ‘saving drinkers time,’ says an Asahi spokeswoman.

The life-size Mr Asahi has been designed so that his movements are developed through the use of compressed air, which is controlled through a series of valves and electrical mechanisms.

His arms have a six-axis functionality, enabling him to perform 60 repeatable functions a minute.

Other features include his ability to serve customers with a ‘robotic smile’ and being able to reply to questions from customers using an integrated vocal speaker system, which is operator-controlled and has more than 500 vocal effects.

Mr Asahi will be appearing at Selfridges in Manchester’s Exchange Square Store from 10 July and the Trafford Centre from 12 July.