Artly AI, an AI robotics company specializing in service industry automation, showcased a new robotic hand upgrade for its “Barista Bot” robot barista at the NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025. The upgrade is designed to enhance the robot’s dexterity, bringing it closer to human-level capabilities and enabling it to craft higher-quality artisan coffee drinks.
Artly’s Barista Bot is built on the company’s Vision-Language-Action (VLA) AI model. It is trained using motion capture data from human baristas, allowing it to replicate their movements and currently craft 28 hot and iced beverages. The new robotic hand replaces the previous gripper system, offering improved manipulation of everyday objects.
Key features and advantages of the upgraded robotic hand, according to Artly, include:
- Replication of human motion: Up to 20 degrees of freedom, mimicking the natural motions of a human hand.
- Force feedback and tactile sensors: High-precision sensors for managing delicate objects.
- Future sensor integration: Plans to develop additional sensors for food and beverage applications, such as temperature sensors.
- Adaptability: The ability to quickly adapt to various objects and tools designed for humans (cups, spoons, etc.).
Artly highlights that traditional robotic grippers are limited in their range of motion and flexibility, making them less suitable for operating complex objects. The robotic hand addresses this limitation.
The company’s robotic platform is designed to extend beyond coffee-making. Potential applications include slicing fruit, managing glassware, and preparing cocktails, making it suitable for restaurants and self-serve kiosks in high-traffic locations like airports. Artly also suggests that the robotic hand’s enhanced dexterity, combined with its motion-captured training data, makes it rapidly adaptable to other sectors, such as healthcare and logistics.
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“With this new upgrade, Barista Bot now moves with even greater agility, mimicking human brewing techniques like never before,” said Yushan Chen, Chief Operating Officer of Artly. Chen also stated that the company aims to combine their VLA with what he describes as “cutting-edge robotics”.
The robot hand demonstration was at the Microsoft exhibit (booth #514) at GTC 2025. Artly plans to provide further updates on its website in May 2025.
Since its inception, the company claims to have: raised over $10 million, opened nine locations across the United States, served nearly 1 million cups and generated over $5 million in coffee revenue.
Featured image credit: Artly AI
