The continued robotification of coffee is… troubling. While the onslaught of robotic arms, superautomatic kiosks, and artificial intelligence in coffee-making space is alarming, not all coffee droids are bad. There are certain areas in coffee that a cute little bleepy bloop can handle as well as, if not better than, its human counterparts. For that, there’s DAL-e, a new electric robot from Hyundai that can deliver 16 cups of coffee at a time.
As reported by Electrek, DAL-e is a joint effort between Hyundai and Kia, with the former making improvements to the latter’s hotel delivery robot. First announced at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the self-driving DAL-e can carry up to 22lbs and can travel at the brisk speed of 2.7mph, or “about walking speed.” The all-electric delivery bot can maneuver its way through tight spaces, like hotel hallways or office buildings, without running into walls or people, even in crowded places.
Upon arrival, DAL-e uses Hyundai and Kia Robotics Lab AI facial recognition technology—”which has received official certification from the Korea Internet & Security Agency with 99.9% accuracy”—to find its delivery target and uses an 11.6” display screen to communicate with individuals. Once identified, the door to DAL’e internal compartment opens up and the coffee is delivered.
One of the robot’s major upgrades is its ability to make deliveries to any floor in a building. DAL-e is capable of navigating elevators and other door control systems to get where it needs to go.
DAL-e is slated to make its debut in the second quarter of this year at the Aegis Asset Management building in Seoul.
Korea appears to be leading the charge in the coffee-delivering robot space. There’s the Air-Dilly delivering drinks to commuters at the Incheon International Airport, and now there’s DAL-e for hotels and offices. These are good uses of automatons in coffee. If only a big coffee event was coming up in Korea to give me a reason to go check it all out…
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
