Rob isn’t your average ship’s bartender. He speaks eight languages and, with a face that (literally) lights up, Rob is likely to become the most popular mixologist on MSC’s new Virtuosa, due to debut in APR this year.
Rob (short for robot) is the resident robotic bartender, and the first humanoid and interactive robot bartender at sea.
He? It? will be mixing, shaking and stirring drinks behind the bar in the ship's fully immersive new bar experience, the Starship Club. Rob will feel right at home in the new futuristic space which features 3D holograms, a digital-art wall and a 12-seat infinity digital interactive table, designed to give passengers an ultramodern space-style bar experience at sea.
Rob is artificially intelligent enough to show emotion, maybe even roll his eyes at guests’ lame jokes.
"Rob has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding settings and atmospheres. He uses his LED face to convey emotion so that guests can enjoy his performance whilst they sip on their cocktail,” MSC said. Rob may even be the best bartender in the world to share your secrets with as you sit at the bar and sip.
It's not the first time a cruise line has put a robot behind the bar. Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class ships pioneered the concept with their “Bionic Bar”, where robotic arms whipped up drinks with precision and flair.
But that, while astonishing, was just a limb. Costa Cruises’ "Pepper,” was the next contender. He’s a humanoid guest services robot that stands about 4-foot tall. And then there is Rob. He is the full-size deal - and interactive beyond filing your cocktail order.
"This latest innovation takes cutting-edge robotics and digital technologies to deliver a futuristic, immersive entertainment lounge, completely re-imagining the traditional bar experience to literally transport guests to another world,” MSC says.
Japanese might be among the eight languages he speaks, so don’t forget to thank your bionic bartender by saying, “Domo arigato, Mr Roboto.”
