Booze in the age of the robo-barman

Automation provides novelty but human element 'will never change'

LOS ANGELES - As Tipsy methodically unfolds an arm to select a glass, retrieve ice and mix a drink, it's all a far cry from the flashy swagger of Tom Cruise in Cocktail.

But then he doesn't have the twinkle in his eye of a fictional Hollywood bartender - or any eyes at all, for that matter - because Tipsy is a robot.