In 2022, robot baristas will be serving you gourmet coffee at Singapore’s 30 MRT stations

Planning to travel to Singapore when the COVID-19 crisis is over? Should it end by late 2022, you can enjoy some gourmet coffee from robot baristas as you commute via one of its 30 MRT stations. 

How would it work? You can place your orders through an app before stepping out and then get them as soon as you arrive at the train station. ELLA—a robot barista who is armed with cashless and contactless technology—can serve up to 200 cups of coffee per hour.

According to a press release, the project is spearheaded by food and beverage start-up Crown Digital, which developed the robot barista, as well as retail management firm Stellar Lifestyle, which invested in the former's fundraising initiative involving the technological breakthrough's deployment.

“We plan to enhance commuters’ experience by enlivening and transforming Singapore’s public transport network spaces with innovative and new-to-network concepts,” shared Tony Heng, the president of Stellar Lifestyle. 

For his part, Crown Digital CEO Keith Tan said that they “are working to commercialize this unique solution globally and employ high-tech talent locally.”