Coming to a cafe near you: a coffee-pouring robotas the type of person who writes words for a living, I love coffee. But my affinity for it pales in comparison to that of Gizmodo's Matt Buchanan, who writes this morning of a coffee-pouring robot installed at Roy St. Coffee and Tea in Seattle, Wash. The concept: ensure consistency. That's no surprise coming from the makers of what is called the  Clover Precision Pourover machine, who happen to be owned by brewing giant  Starbucks, for whom consistency and efficiency is of utmost importance. Like all robots, the idea is to accomplish and repeat a specific task with precision. For the Precision Pourover, that means managing water temperature and motion with impeccable timing. Buchanan writes: The Clover Pourover's circles are unwaveringly identical. Its timing is ultra-precise, the metered rhythm determined by countless experiments in Starbucks'development labs. The water temperature is accurate and stable to a tenth of a degree. All the barista has to do is provide the correct dose of freshly ground coffee, ensure it's properly distributed in the filter, and press a button. The machine does the rest. And while it's using a single brew profile for every coffee right now, because it's a networked device, Starbucks could produce and upload extremely tailored programming for coffees based on their origin or roast date or whatever. Buchanan calls the device a twinkle in Starbucks senior design project manager Major Cohen's eye. We'll just say it's a smarter way to make a better cup of joe. Here's a (blurry) look at the machine in action: Photo: Why Not Coffee
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