NEC’s Robot Sommelier

Time Magazine have announced their ‘Best Inventions of 2006′ and if you’re a regular reader of design and trend sites many you will have seen before. The Meals & Cooking section may be the most interesting category if you ignore the alarmist Clean Machine that makes sure all that food is uber-sterile.

Anyway, what we did love was this bot from NEC that can “with a swiveling head” taste wine using infrared light sensors and a spectrometer in its left arm. The prototype bot can analyze the chemical composition of the liquid inside to determine type, brand and flavor and then suggest a complementary cheese in high pitched voice.

TIME Best Inventions 2006