# Robotic Cafe Baristas Tokyo's 'Henn na Cafe' Has a Bot Serve Coffee to Customers By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2018-02-01 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/henna-na-cafe References: [japantrends](http://www.japantrends.com/robotic-barista-serves-customers-coffee-shop-shibuya-central-tokyo/) & [hennacafe.jp](http://hennacafe.jp/hennacafe/) The success of the robot-run Henn na Hotel in Japan has led to the opening of a new venture—the Henn na Cafe in Tokyo, which is situated in the Shibuya ward. At the all-new cafe, consumers have the chance to be served by a robotic barista, a piece of technology that is made by Rethink Robotics. The machine boasts a robotic arm, an automated coffee maker and a screen that gives the robot the ability to emote human-like expressions. Beyond just providing coffee to consumers, the bot boasts the ability to interact with guests, greeting them and asking: "Hello, would you like delicious coffee?" To place an order for a drink to be fulfilled by the bot, customers must purchase a ticket via a vending machine. After choosing from a drink menu of seven items, they are able to present their QR code ticket to the robot so that the preparation of the beverage may begin. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.8/10 - Popularity: 30% | Activity: 76% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [AI](https://www.trendhunter.com/ai) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Robot Baristas:** Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the food service industry by replacing human baristas with robots. - **Automated Customer Interaction:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to enhance customer experience by using robots with human-like expressions to interact with guests. - **Ticket-based Ordering:** Potential for disruptive innovation in the vending machine industry by using QR codes to order drinks from a robot barista. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Food Service:** Opportunity for the food service industry to automate coffee-making and customer service processes using robot baristas. - **Customer Experience:** Disruptive innovation opportunity for industries that prioritize customer experience, such as hospitality and retail, by incorporating robots with human-like expressions. - **Vending Machines:** Potential for disruptive innovation in the vending machine industry by introducing QR code-based ticketing systems for ordering drinks from robots. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Automated Robot Baristas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/automatic-barista.md) - [Conversational Robot Baristas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kubi.md) - [AI-Powered Robotic Baristas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cookright-coffee.md) - [Robotic Coffee Waiters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/second-cup-coffee-company.md) - [Advanced Robotic Baristas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/artly-ai.md) - [AI-Enabled Coffee Monitoring Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miso.md) - [Autonomous Coffee Stations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/costa-coffee-5.md) - [Hyper-Personalized Coffees](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-free-coffee.md) - [Tea-Making Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teamaking-robots.md)