UT’s Coffee Kiosk Has Robot Baristas (PHOTO)

The University of Texas, Austin campus, is now home to a fully automated coffee kiosk featuring robot baristas. Introduced for the first time by Briggo Inc., the five-year old Austin-based coffee company installed its first intelligent kiosk at the campus this month.

Enclosed in a wood covering, 'Briggo Coffee Haus' is fully robotic and offers various customized coffee options. The options include everything from freshly steamed milk, soy, skim, or whole.

"Our Coffee Haus creates artisan coffee drinks 24/7 with a level of accuracy never before seen in the coffee world, and the automated ordering system via the Briggo mobile website streamlines the process," said Kevin Nater, Briggo's chief executive officer.

Customers just need to either access a touchscreen placed at the kiosk or swipe around on the company's smartphone app to place an order of their favorite cup of coffee. They can also track their order status. At the same time, customers can also pre-order personalized drinks via the Briggo smartphone, saving time, eliminating long waits.

"Robotics to emulate the motions of a champion barista to precisely prepare specialty coffee drinks to your specifications. We're trying to give customers control of their coffee experiences. We give a lot of customization opportunities," said Kevin Nater, chief executive officer of Briggo.

The robot baristas maintain the fresh milk, beans and other ingredients.

Currently, a person has been employed at the kiosk to initially assist the customers with the operations.

Apart from the UT campus, the unique coffee kiosk will also be installed at the Austin airport and a few other locations where operating a real cafe is too costly or impractical.

"We are passionate about bringing exceptional coffee to our customers, and using the highest quality ingredients is imperative," said Nater. "We believe the overall coffee experience must include convenience and predictability. Our customers easily, quickly get their favorite coffee the exact same way, every single time, without any hassle or wait."