Abstract:
The purpose of the Cocktail Automation Management System (CAMS) is to offer a complete hardware-software system that automatically prepares cocktails for patrons at a bar or restaurant. This systems consists of a central processing board that handles user requests and coordinates communication among modules which each hold one ingredient. The CAMS would complement or replace bartenders for easy-to-mix beverages, which would free up the bartenders for work that could not be automated, such as payment collection and more complex cocktails. The CAMS delivers beverages by acting in two stages – order determination and component delivery. First, a patron orders a cocktail from a list of available drinks using a serial terminal running on a PC. Then, for each ingredient in the cocktail, the CAMS determines what module the ingredient is located in and what volume of that ingredient is needed. A command is issued to each of the relevant modules to dispense the specified ingredient. The modules all dispense ingredients into plastic tubing that runs from the modules to a cocktail glass.
There are several other existing solutions currently on the market. These systems also offer complete hardware-software solutions, but none of these systems are cheap, modular, or scalable. They all require the purchase of a specific sized system, and if at a later point more modules are desired for the system, an entirely new system must be purchased with no way of using the existing system. The CAMS is designed to use as few as 1 ingredient module and as many as 64 ingredient modules. The main controller is separate from the ingredient modules, and the ingredient modules only need connections to power and to the communications bus to add functionality to the system. Additionally, the expected cost of the CAMS is significantly lower than the existing systems per module. The CAMS cost efficiency varies slightly with number of modules as the cost of the main module must be paid regardless of system size. However, the CAMS is more cost effective than all other existing systems for all system sizes.
Full report (pdf)
Poster (pdf)