It’s happening. Robots are slowly taking over Singapore’s train stations with shots of caffeine.
Cyborg baristas known as Ella will be serving coffee at 30 train stations across the country by the end of next year. The robotic arm, a similar sight at the Ratio cafe at The Centrepoint, will occupy a small space at each of the stations and show off its brewing prowess (it can make up to 200 cups of coffee per hour!).
Commuters looking for a pick-me-up drink can order their drinks in advance and collect them at the cashless counters. The initiative was made possible by retail firm Stellar Lifestyle (formerly known as SMRT Commercial) and local tech start-up Crown Digital.
“We plan to enhance commuters’ experience by enlivening and transforming Singapore’s public transport network spaces with innovative and new-to-network concepts. ELLA is an example of the kind of lifestyle concepts we are actively looking for at MRT stations across the island,” Stellar Lifestyle president Tony Heng said in a press release.
Crown Digital’s sister company Crown Coffee also runs a cafe at the CT Hub 2 shopping mall on Lavender Street.
The same robots were found in Japan, where they were deployed for tests in December. They have also been incorporated with internal security features.
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