… AND GOES TO WORK AT VEGAS’ NEW TIPSY ROBOT

The future has arrived! This planet’s first permanent robotic bar opened this summer in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. Part bar but all attraction, Tipsy Robot stars two cocktail-shaking robots affixed on a stage-like platform. The hulking mechanical arms mirror the actions of human bartenders, from mixing and pouring, to slicing of garnishes and the choice of shaken or stirred. The identically programmed mixologists provide precision in their execution of customized cocktails, though without the sympathetic ear of the local barkeep (no ears).

Complementing Tipsy Robot’s high-tech design and futuristic atmosphere, customers place their order on one of 33 tablets, choosing a specialty cocktail like “Robo-shots” and a “Bionic Bomb.” Adventurous drinkers can even create their own cocktails that the robots have no choice but to serve.

The sleek white assembly arms pull their liquid ingredients from above, reaching quickly but delicately for the 60 kinds of liquor from bottles hanging upside down like a cavern’s stalactites.

Each beverage takes 70 to 90 seconds from order to completion. A drink costs $14, including tip for the human help. Since everyone isn’t tech-savvy, there are “Galactic Ambassadors,” staff that provide tech support. These robots only pour stiff ones, so guests desiring beer or wine can get a person to pour them one, sit back and enjoy the show.

The robots, which have yet to be officially named, slice fruit or even “dance” to modern soundtracks in their idle time. Tipsy Robot is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and to midnight on weekends.