LONDON (TIP): Scientists have developed a robot that can act as the perfect bartender – from shaking a martini to slicing a lemon. Makr Shakr consists of three robotic arms which mimic the actions of a bartender. The robots are linked to an app which allows users to create their own cocktails from scratch, BBC News reported. “Makr Shakr is a great example of how digital technologies are changing the interaction between people and products,” said Carlo Ratti, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Senseable City Lab, which directed the project. “The system explores the new dynamics of social creation and consumption – ‘design, make and enjoy’ – allowing users to design their own cocktail creations, while digitally controlled machines transform these designs into reality,” Ratti said. The team behind the project hope to create a “bottom-up bar culture”, allowing users to learn from each other by sharing drink recipes and photos.

The robots’ movements have been modelled on the gestures of Roberto Bolle, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Makr Shakr will be serving cocktails to delegates at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco this week.