Many of us are aware of the concept of the Internet of Things, a system in which everything from your smart phone and self-driving car, to your smart TV and fridge is connected to the web.
It’s an exciting proposition a world in which your car can alert your house that you’re on the way home, triggering the heating to be set just right, flicking on your living room lights and queuing up your favorite Friday night playlist.
But what if you’re out with friends? Well, the Internet of Things might be about to disrupt a bar near you and solve a problem you’re likely to have faced time and time again.
Martini, the world’s leading vermouth and best-selling sparkling wine maker, is trialling the MARTINI Smart Cube.
The concept is simple. A barman places a Martini Smart Cube in your drink when serving. The ice cube-shaped device, which is 3D printed, then bobs around until your drink is finished, at which point it senses the lack of liquid and alerts the bar staff, ordering you a fresh glass.
The technology is based on Apple’s iBeacon technology a software protocol that allows a hardware transmitter, typically with Bluetooth low energy connectivity, to broadcast a notification to nearby devices. In this case, two liquid sensors recognize when they’re no longer submerged, triggering the drinks order to be made. Using aero gel a technology built by Nasa – the temperature of the cube is kept cool, while staying buoyant.
The Martini Smart Cube also sends the bar staff an indication of how far the drink is from the bar, so they can deliver the drink without fuss. As soon as the drink order is automatically sent to the bar ordering system – via an iPad Pro – the bar staff know immediately where that drink needs to be delivered.
The result? No more tearing you away from that all-too-rare catch-up. Martini Smart Cube will do the ordering for you. And there’ll be no more drink mix-ups either. Each cube has its own unique pulsing color combination, so everyone knows exactly which Martini & Tonic is theirs.
But it’s not just a crowd pleaser. In the future, Martini Smart Cube might track your alcohol consumption, keeping you informed about how much you’re consuming. It could also alert you if your drink has been tampered with.
We’ll raise a glass to that.
