AMSTERDAM -- Convenience store coffee programs may soon have some high-flying competition. A Lab, a hub for new media and technology startups based in Amsterdam, is introducing a new concept--the "Coffee Copter." It is a quad copter or drone programmed to serve coffee orders on different floors within the A Lab building.
Through an integrated app, consumers within A Lab can order the coffee at the The Coffee Virus bar where it is freshly prepared and then delivered to the offices in the building by the Coffee Copter.
The 'Coffee Copter' works through a smartphone app. Anyone can order a coffee without leaving their desk. With every order, the app sends a signal with the order to the coffee bar on the ground floor. Then the coffee corner employees prepare the coffee and set the cup in the Coffee Copter.
The copter works with a stabilizer to keep the coffee as straight as possible during the flight. It also uses object recognition and movement detection to avoid people and objects. The drone is programmed with a 3D algorithm to fly routes through the building. The Coffee Copter will land at the delivery address on its specially designed landing pillar and signal that the coffee is ready to drink.
The Coffee Copter is a result of a collaboration between several disciplines within A Lab to promote crossovers.
It has flown its first test flight and proved it's possible for a drone to serve coffee to an office desk in the near future. The drone is being further developed for the commercial market. The project is now seeking investors to develop the Coffee Copter further.
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