A Bubble Tea–Making Robot Is a Portent of Things to Come

In the airy lobby of Taipei's new technology hub, customers are waiting on their boba fix at Crane Cha, a beverage store. Behind a plexiglass partition, a robot is assembling their drinks. The Bubble Tea Shaker Robot, or BTSR, launched in 2018 and is the brainchild of Taiwan Intelligent Robotics Co. After the machine receives a customer's order, its thick white robotic arm moves along a wall of nozzles to fill up on ingredients--tea, milk, ice, sugar, toppings--in its stainless steel shaker. The BTSR shakes it to mix and pours the contents into a paper cup, which is sealed and handed to the customer.