Mike and Missy are the creators of barbots, robots that make tiki drinks. First they created the BAR-letta. Next came the MaiTaiMatic. Then there was the InEbri8.
My inner sci-fi kid was triggered by their work. Asimov must have created laws for just this situation, right? The Three Laws of Barbots?
1: A barbot may not injure a tiki drink or, through inaction, allow a tiki drink to come to harm;
2: A barbot must obey the drink orders given it by tiki masters except where such orders would conflict with the First Law or come from an iPhone;
3: A barbot must make drinks faster than any bartender as long as such speed does not conflict with the First or Second Law or include a garnish.
The BAR-letta, Missy and Mike’s first creation, had 30 gravity-fed, medical-grade pumps with a roulette wheel. It was dressed up like a juke-box when ready to mix. In its first competition, it made 300 drinks in a little over an hour. almost winning the Robotic Bartending Competition. It’s only downfall? It didn’t link to an iPhone. Next, the MaiTaiMatic made precision Mai Tai with five tubes and 8 slots for drinks. Mike claims it can out-pour any Vegas bartender (if you subtract the garnish). Last but not least, came the InEbri8, the next-gen version of the Bar-letta.
Read the rest of the story in Polynesiacs: Tiki at Home, page 311.
Caliche Cove, Las Vegas, Nevada
