Automatic coffee machine features an avatar of a barista
QuestIT, a spin-off of the Artificial Intelligence Research Group of the University of Siena, and Rhea, one of the largest producers of customized vending machines in the world, are participating to WAICF (World AI Cannes Festival), a global event dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, taking place from 9 to 11 February at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes.
Rhea realized the Kairos automatic coffee machine where a virtual assistant interacts with the consumer and serve a coffee at the voice command “Kairos, can I have an espresso?”
This is thanks to the Artificial Intelligence developed in cooperation with QuestIT.
“I was fascinated by the communicative potential of Kairos, as well as the quality of the coffee, at an event at Ca’ Foscari, in Venice. I immediately realized that with our expertise in AI, we could increase its potential by integrating our voice assistant Algho: a conversational avatar able to humanize coffee machines and turn them into a tool for entertainment and inclusion. The two companies at the forefront of their industries, Rhea and QuestIT, are inviting you to have an extraordinary coffee with Italian ingenuity for an unforgettable experience,” comments Marco Landi, President of QuestIT.
This collaboration enables an evolution of Kairos, a concept of experience and multi-sensoriality that has already revolutionized the image of coffee machines with its television screen that entertains the consumer while coffee is being dispensed: in fact, through integration with Artificial Intelligence, Kairos is now enriched with an avatar, making the man/machine relationship even more interactive.
“We have always believed in the importance of innovation based on cutting-edge technology to improve not only the performance of machines, but above all the consumer experience, to make it more inclusive and responsive to their expectations,” commented Andrea Pozzolini, CEO of Rhea.
“We are constantly engaged in research to harness the potential of artificial intelligence and put it at service of the consumer experience. We are collaborating with various companies and institutions, and we are happy to add vending to the scope today and create an increasingly innovative coffee break with Rhea,” explains Ernesto Di Iorio, CEO of QuestIT.