SYDNEY: Covid-19, robotics and beer? The three mightn’t seem to belong together but the Heineken company has been joining them up in Sydney this week.
Germany’s No 1 beermaker is using two robots, dubbed Heidi and Ken, developed by students and engineers at Sydney University, to serve up free drinks safely at a “Zer0.0 Contact Bar” in Sydney’s Darlinghurst.
The “beer” is alcohol-free and the robots just have arms, rather than human-style bodies, but Heineken reckons it’s just the thing to cheer-up Covid-weary Aussies.
Don’t expect too much cheer, however: the Zer0.0 Contact bar can only cater for one patron at a time, given the limitations of robotic delivery, but Heineken believes most Aussies will understand.
To the surprise of some, the No 1 German beermaker has actually been in the alcohol-free business since last year.
The Zer0.0 Bar will be operating until Saturday at 249 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, Sydney. Prost!