Coffee is a part of these robots’ daily grind

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Hello readers,

What pops into your mind when you hear the word “robot”? The Terminator? R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars? Or Wall-E? For me, I recall The Jetsons, a cartoon TV show in the ‘90s that portrayed a family living in a futuristic world full of robots.

All they had to do was push a button or say a word, and their favorite drink or food appeared. My younger self thought that was fascinating.

So when I found out that I would be writing about Ratio, a startup that creates robots capable of making 60 types of coffee and cocktail drinks, I was excited. What’s more exciting was that I got to break the news that this robotmaker had raised US$10 million in its series A round led by Frasers Property.

My enthusiasm persuaded Gavin Pathross, Ratio’s CEO and founder, to take a break from his Lunar New Year break and speak to me about the company and its plans for the future.

Ratio seems to have major expansion plans on the horizon. But what thrilled me the most was to hear that the company is building new robots that can prepare food, and it’s now in the research and development stage of the project.

While some might not be able stomach the idea of robots making their meals, I think I would have the appetite for that. What about you?

— Collin Furtado, News Editor at Tech in Asia

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