MSC Cruises is ready to bring on board a robot bartender who will make you some delicious and refreshing cocktails. Get ready to meet Rob.
The newest bartender on MSC Cruises can speak eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese), can dance, rattle off space trivia, and mix cosmic cocktails that will make cruisers feel out of this world.
The MSC Starship Club is where Rob entertains his patrons. Guests will be greeted with 3D holograms, a digital art wall, and a 12-seat digital interactive table to “explore space with their own personalized galactic tour.” And guests can even see the status of their drinks on a scrolling ticker above the bar.
Rob is capable of doing different facial expressions to give him a human-like appearance; apart from Rob, some actual human bartenders will be on board to assist as well. While mixing and serving drinks, Rob will engage with and speak with passengers, the cruise line added.
You can ask Rob for your favorite drink. MSC announced that Rob learned mixology in the best intergalactic bars and has worked on colonized Mars it will recognize your language and respond appropriately.
Rob’s first day on the job will be April 16, 2021. With the current coronavirus-related shutdown of most cruises around the world, Rob’s true start date could be postponed to a further date. Rob will use his LED face “to convey emotions so guests can enjoy his performance while sipping their cocktails,” MSC Cruises said in its announcement.
MSC Cruises isn’t the first line to add a robot bartender to a cruise ship, of course. Royal Caribbean is already famous for their Bionic Bars on several of its ships that have robot bartenders.
The MSC Virtuosa will first sail three, four, and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean before heading to Northern Europe for the summer of 2021, according to the cruise line.
MSC was one of the first companies to relaunch activities, sailing the Mediterranean over the summer, but was forced to cancel its holiday cruises due to travel restrictions before being able to resume last month.
Rob joins the ranking as one of the other best bartending robots from around the world, like Rosé the Robot, who delivers wine to people’s rooms at the Hotel Trio in Healdsburg, Calif.
