The Internet of Alcohol Things is coming at last
Those humans have done it again!
First the Internet. Then tablets. And now, the last piece of the smart-home puzzle: The connected bar.
Pernod Ricard, the Paris company that sells Absolut Vodka, among other brands, unveiled the smart bar Wednesday at its annual innovation day.
You can watch a demonstration video here.
Dubbed “Project Gutenberg,†the system is still in development. But essentially, the system places your choice of alcohol in containers that resemble stackable books or computer hard drives.
These then sit on a tray that can talk to your iPad to inform it when the contents are running low. Press a glass against the container and it dispenses the alcohol.
When levels run low, it can send an alert to your device that triggers an automatic home delivery of a new container.
The app for the system will provide mixology tutorials (or “cocktail coaching,†as it says in the video.
The Gutenberg system was one of 100 ideas (see this PDF for the full list) presented at the company’s annual innovation day. Other ideas include: A vending machine to let users create their own mixed drinks at restaurants; and a host of apps and videos to help you become a better bartender.
In a press release, Pierre Pringuet, Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard said:
“The conviviality of the future is a connected conviviality: mobile, instant and exponential, with its main vehicle for dissemination being the digital revolution. We have never had so many digital friends. But ultimately, this conviviality must first and foremost allow us to come together to share new consumption occasions with new friends.â€
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