{"id":14059,"date":"2022-02-08T15:27:22","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T20:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/solidedge\/?p=14059"},"modified":"2026-03-26T07:36:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:36:42","slug":"startup-spotlight-yanu-the-worlds-first-ai-powered-robot-bartender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/solidedge\/startup-spotlight-yanu-the-worlds-first-ai-powered-robot-bartender\/","title":{"rendered":"Startup Spotlight: Yanu, the world\u2019s first AI-powered robot bartender"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Elegant<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Meet Yanu, the AI Bartender robot that serves you even after closing hours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After working in hospitality for many years, Alan Adojaan decided the best thing was yet to come: By developing his own AI-based bartender robot, he is now able to host his clients no matter what time they decide to have a drink. And it gets even better, his contactless and unstaffed bar can run independently 24\/7 at locations like airports, hotel lobbies and casinos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developed in Estonia, this\u00a0concept\u00a0reduces\u00a0the long waiting line to get a drink\u00a0and\u00a0eliminates\u00a0the chance of\u00a0a human bartender\u00a0getting the drink order wrong.\u00a0The communicative human-like AI chatbot\u00a0elevates the quality of the experience to an entirely new level. \u00a0Powered\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0user app,\u00a0in combination with\u00a0an\u00a0intuitive easy\u00a0mobile payment\u00a0system\u00a0and One-Touch ordering, this will provide a smooth enjoyable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read this blog post and find out how Alan Adojaan and his team used Solid Edge from Siemens to develop this very special bartender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>How a crazy idea took shape<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Back in 2016,\u00a0Adojaan\u00a0noticed that especially during the weekends his bar ended up in a complete chaos because a lot of\u00a0customers were in line, waiting for their drink. Some of them left before ordering which cost the bar income and new clients. On the other hand, during the week the staff had little to do, so problems like high staffing and fixed costs appeared. \u201cThat was the moment when I started thinking that there must be another solution for this\u201d, said Alan Adojaan. \u201cI saw that most bars in my neighborhood were facing the same challenges, I assumed that there would possibly be a market for such a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, he envisioned that a machine, like those running sushi restaurants, could help serve more drinks to customers. To turn this idea into reality, he consulted the local university of Tallinn, but they told him that the project would not be feasible, and human operators would still be required to run the conveyor belt. But this rejection didn\u2019t discourage Adojaan, on the contrary, it only made him try harder and think through the whole idea again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alan
Alan Adojaan, CEO and founder of Yanu, an Estonia-based robotics company <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Realizing an innovation with little support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adojaan managed to find a couple of skilled designers with previous experiences developing futuristic high-tech interiors and hired them. Within four years, Adojaan and his team of designers and engineers developed the first prototype of an autonomous bar. When presenting their first model to the public, they received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the local press and the testing clients.  During that first test, the robot served 46 drinks in 5 hours.  Although not everything ran smoothly that time, the interest of the public proved to Alan Adojaan that he was right on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning such an ambitious idea into reality, especially when \u201cno one took me seriously at first,\u201d Adojaan says, required the latest in robotics design technology and computer-aided design (CAD) software. For these reasons, Adojaan and his team designed and developed Yanu using Solid Edge\u00ae, entering the Siemens\u2019 ecosystem as a member of the Startup Program in 2019.

Unlike other robotic bartenders on the market, Adojaan\u2019s solution is compact and mobile, able to be collapsed into a 20-foot shipping container for transport. The Yanu robot can also communicate with patrons and is fully autonomous; other bartending bots are non-communicative, only semi-autonomous and can require weeks to set up. In addition to its plug-and-play nature, Yanu is cloud-based, easy to operate, and comes with apps for administration, monitoring, and drink ordering. The latest version can now prepare and serve up to 100 drinks per hour and refill 1,200 glasses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yanu
Yanu, the autonomous bartender can also serve non-alcoholic beverages<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bringing two worlds together by implementing Solid Edge  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By using Solid Edge and its sophisticated suite of software tools that address all aspects of the product design and development process, including mechanical and electrical design, simulation, data management, many benefits for YANU were unlocked. Whereas designing complex intelligent robotic systems can slow the product development process, Solid Edge enabled the Yanu team to get its revolutionary bartending bot to market quickly \u2014 while overcoming many of the typical pitfalls that can affect the design process for new products. \u201cEspecially bridging the gap between the designers that worked on Yanu\u2019s outward appearance and the engineers that worked on the robot\u2019s internal mechanics wasn\u2019t always easy\u201d, reports Adojaan, \u201cThe designers wanted things to look good while the engineers were focused on functionality. Solid Edge enabled us to overcome these issues, as it reconciles both within its immersive design environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yanu\u00b4s
A close-up of the robotic bar, including the drink dock, touch screens and robotic arm.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Solid Edge also provided the Yanu team with a single platform for all its product development data, eliminating many of the inconsistencies that inevitably result when different people in different cities are working on various aspects of the same robotic design. \u201cAt one point, Yanu\u2019s interior mechanical parts were being designed in Solid Edge, while its exterior bells and whistles \u2014 many of which are handmade \u2014 were being built in other programs,\u201d Adojaan says. \u201cBy the time we assembled our first prototype, we realized some things didn\u2019t match. Last year, we decided to bring everything into Solid Edge, and it\u2019s made a world of difference in terms of creating a single, frictionless workflow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rendering
Rendering of Yanu in KeyShot<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSolid Edge has a great holistic approach that keeps design and details together. It makes our work much easier when designing products by keeping details and drawings organized, therefore making editing easy\u201d, says Yanu industrial designer Ken Ruut. \u201cI like that drawing updates automatically during editing. It’s good that while going into details, the big picture is also comprehensible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yanu
Meet the team that brought Yanu to life, in the center Alan Adoojan, CEO and founder.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Already thinking about getting a Yanu bartender?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A robot bartender not only improves customer experience, but it also significantly reduces the salary expenses for businesses and eliminates common problems that bars encounter with personnel, such as staffing shortages during holiday seasons. While an automated bartender may come with some short-term expenses to get up and running, it provides tremendous business advantages in the long-term and solves an emerging need for contactless food and beverage service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt only takes eight (8) hours to set it up while other similar simpler options can take up to 2 weeks,\u201d explains Alan Adojaan. \u201cOther robots can also shake up and mix your beverages but have limited options when ordering your drinks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Yanu\u2019s USPs is probably also the integrated AI based chatbot. It processes your payments, remembers your favorite drinks, can show you your billing history, and even recognizes you by your face or voice. It can make soft drinks, juices, and cocktails. As an owner of such a robot, you would get automatically notified if maintenance is needed, when bottles need to be refilled, if the bar needs to be cleaned or with any other issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yanu
The robot recognizes you and knows your habits and can mix all kind of drinks: soft drinks, juices and cocktails<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What\u2019s next?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

YANU was recently introduced to the world at the Estonian Pavilion at <\/a>Expo 2020 Dubai<\/a>. \u201cThe concept of a bar has completely changed throughout the pandemic, as well as the concept of nightclubs and public events\u201d, Adojaan explains. While humans are needed to maintain and stock automated bars, mechanized mixologists succeed in cutting out the customer-bartender interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, in terms of serial production and new products, Yanu has ambitious plans as the team around Alan Adojaan wants to launch three more prototypes and start industrial production this year. So, you shouldn\u2019t be surprised when seeing one of these bartender robots at a bar, a hotel, or an airport near you very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Yanu<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Yanu<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"Egils<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Fazza<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"Yanu<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Yanu is a startup company based in Estonia with more than 30 employees, and a member of the Solid Edge for Startups<\/a> program. Yanu is the name of their fully autonomous AI- and robot-powered bartending unit that serves drinks, handles payments, and identifies and communicates with customers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n