Robot Somm: The Job Security Killer

Check out this little guy. He is a robot Sommelier created by the fine people at NEC System Technologies. I haven’t been able to find an official name for him, so I shall dub him Box the Somm after the coolest robot ever from Logan’s Run.

The first version of the robot wasn’t able to identify wines, but rather products like ham and bacon. Call me cynical, but this isn’t much of an achievement. Anyone can smell bacon, its probably the most wonderfully aromatic substance in the world. If you want to impress me, invent a robot that CAN’T smell bacon. That would rock my world.

The next development was creating a robot that can taste. Not only could the next version of the robot taste, but it could also “give advice on the food and potential health-related issues”. I don’t think America is ready for this, and this robot would be called “Bitchy, the robot that won’t let me eat anything I like”.

Anyways, they kept working at it, and they eventually got to this guy, Box the Somm robot. Don’t believe me that he is the real deal? Check this out:

See, told ya. In addition to knowing everything about a wine using its futuristic tasting sensors, the robot can carry on a conversation with his customer to figure out the customer’s preference. This alone makes Box the Robot Somm a viable candidate for a restaurant job in Los Angeles, where his only competition is a glut of failed actors who have lowered the bar of the service industry to a point where even Box the Robot Somm is a contender. Way to Go!

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