JD.com Opens 24-Hour Robot Coffee Shop in Beijing

JD.com JD.com has opened a 24-hour coffee shop called 7Fresh Coffee in Beijing, where visitors are served by a robot. The Global Times reported this.

According to the publication, an intelligent anthropomorphic robot wearing a jacket and headphones operates 24 hours a day at the Galaxy SOHO shopping center in Beijing and can prepare 202 cups of coffee per hour. The venue is reportedly the world's first fully automated coffee shop operating around the clock. It opened to customers on August 16.

The robot handles the entire coffee-making process itself: grinding the beans, extracting the espresso, mixing the drink, pouring it and serving it to the customer. Every step is performed automatically.

Preparing a drink takes just 20–30 seconds. The production line can process 7–8 orders simultaneously. The robot reportedly immediately attracted the attention of shopping center visitors, leading to a steady stream of orders at the coffee shop.

In addition to coffee, 7Fresh Coffee offers a variety of beverages, including carbonated water, tea and probiotic juices. The coffee shop plans to introduce an artificial intelligence feature that will provide personalized recommendations on caffeine consumption based on consumers' health status.

Customers can currently independently select the drink's sweetness level and strength with a high degree of precision while placing their orders.