Robotic sommelier

NEC System Technologies and Mie University have designed a robot that can taste — an electromechanical sommelier able to identify dozens of different wines.

This cutie is slightly larger than a soccer ball, complete with eyes, a head that swivels and a mouth that lights up whenever the robot talks. However, it don't need to literary drink and taste the wine. The robot armed with a infrared spectrometer and When objects are placed up against the sensor, the robot fires off a beam of infrared rays. The reflected light is then analyzed in real time to determine the object's chemical composition.

Initially, it was developed to identify food. Now, it's concentrated to wine tasting. In terms of absorbance spectra, differences among different types of wine are smaller than those among other types of foods. For this reason it is more challenging for the robot to discriminate between different types of wine than it is to differentiate between other types of food.

When it has identified a wine, the robot speaks up in a childlike voice. It names the brand and adds a comment or two on the taste, such as whether it is a buttery chardonnay or a full-bodied shiraz, and what kind of foods might go well on the side.

The robot is equipped with the functionality of asking questions to determine a customer's wine preferences. Like a human sommelier, the robot asks a minimum number of questions in order to narrow down the choices among the best wines. It can also alert its owner to possible health issues, gently warning against fatty or salty products.

But sommeliers need not fear for their jobs just yet. Of the thousands of wines on the market, the robot can be programmed to accurately identify only a few dozen at most. It also has more trouble with the task after the bottle has been opened and the wine begins to breathe and thus transform chemically. "Wines are notoriously similar in their spectral fingerprints," Shimazu said. "The variation this robot detects is very subtle." But he said the robot could be used in the near future at wineries to test the taste of each bottle without actually unscrewing any corks.

"It's still like a child," he said. "But not a completely ignorant one."
Industry experts note the shortcomings but agree on the robot's possibilities.
"I see the potential to analyze expensive and old wine to say whether it is authentic or not," said Philippe Bramaz of the Italian winemaker Calzaluga. "Auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's could use this technology to test wine without opening it."

Source NEC System
Source BBC News

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