CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The ADAM robot, a semi-humanoid service bot, recently poured drinks at the Kennedy Space Center’s Legacy of Launch 75th Anniversary event, showcasing advancements in automation for a crowd celebrating decades of space exploration.
Richtech Robotics’ ADAM robot served beverages at a U.S. Space Force Historical Foundation event, highlighting the growing role of robots in various industries.
- The ADAM robot served drinks at the Kennedy Space Center’s Legacy of Launch 75th Anniversary event.
- Richtech Robotics aims to expand its automation solutions into sectors like light industrial, warehouse, and space markets.
- ADAM utilizes NVIDIA technology and AI vision for precise drink pouring, having served over 16,000 drinks previously.
- The company also offers the Titan heavy-duty robot for factory part delivery and other service robots.
- Richtech Robotics is expanding its global reach, recently signing a $4 million agreement for China expansion.
The event, hosted by the U.S. Space Force Historical Foundation, commemorated 75 years of achievements in space exploration.
“We are honored to participate in such a historic event and showcase how ADAM represents the future of intelligent automation—an embodiment of innovation that complements the legacy we are celebrating,” said Matt Casella, President of UK Robotics. He also noted the company’s expansion beyond hospitality into light industrial, warehouse, and space markets, observing significant interest from established industries looking to enhance their operations with automation.
Founded in 2016, Richtech Robotics, based in Las Vegas, has developed collaborative robots for the hospitality and healthcare sectors. Their systems are deployed across the U.S. in restaurants, retail stores, healthcare facilities, casinos, senior living homes, and factories. Notable clients include Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field, Golden Corral, Hilton, Sodexo, and Boyd Gaming.
ADAM’s Precision Pouring
ADAM, equipped with two arms and a stationary base, uses NVIDIA-powered artificial intelligence for drink service. Its AI vision system monitors each cup in real time, adjusting pour angle, flow rate, and timing for milliliter-level accuracy. This “closed-loop, perception-to-action control system” ensures consistent results.
Prior to this event, ADAM had served over 16,000 drinks at Clouffee & Tea in Las Vegas. Casella explained that ADAM is designed to optimize space within bars and restaurants. “We made a couple of decisions for the hospitality space, which has a very experiential element,” he said. “ADAM is recognizable as a humanoid, but it’s designed to be stationary. Based on studies, roughly 80% of tasks are done while people are sitting or standing at a counter.”
“With real-world deployments already under way in the hospitality and entertainment industries, ADAM’s ability to serve space-themed cocktails underscores the company’s commitment to pioneering technologies that enhance human experiences through state-of-the-art innovation,” stated Richtech.
Titan: The Workhorse Robot
Richtech Robotics also offers the heavy-duty Titan robot, designed for tasks like delivering parts in factories. “Titan is adding value in the automotive service space and manufacturing,” Casella noted. “It has the advantage of ease of installation and integration with customer operations.”
He described a seamless integration process at an automotive service center after a few hours of site mapping. “Then it was plug and press ‘play,’ seamlessly integrating into existing operations. This sector is a big opportunity.”
Casella emphasized the importance of a robot’s physical design and human-machine interactions for successful adoption. “We made sure ADAM didn’t fall into the ‘uncanny valley,’” he said. “Developers need to consider how their designs will impact people emotionally.” He also highlighted the need for intuitive user interfaces, stating, “It’s really important to have easy-to-use user interfaces so that people want to use the robots.”
“With Titan, customers can reap the benefits of automation at low cost,” Casella asserted. “It’s really important that robots be easy to use by the people who need to use them to do their jobs.”
Safety and Service Integration
Safety is a paramount concern across Richtech’s portfolio of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). “Whether it’s in a restaurant or an automotive service center, people are walking around, so the robots must be aware of their surroundings,” Casella said. “They must be easy to manage, safely and consistently.”
Casella anticipates continued growth for purpose-built robots, driven by machine vision and AI. “ADAM’s dual arms can do an awful lot, and if things need to move around, customers can add Titan.”
With Roboworx as a third-party service provider, technicians can be on-site within 24 hours, though most software issues are handled remotely. Richtech is also expanding its U.S. office presence to support its robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model.
Expanding the Robot Fleet
Beyond ADAM, Richtech Robotics offers the Matradee Plus delivery robot, the Scorpion one-armed drink server, the Medbot for secure medicine deliveries, and the DUST-E S and MX cleaning robots. Casella believes that as customer-service robots mature, perceptions will improve.
“We’ve deployed over 400 robots nationwide, but mostly in smaller customer orders,” he said. “We’re building on fleets right now, and I’m excited about some pilots in progress with enterprise-level deployments of dozens to hundreds of robots. We look forward to working with more partners.”
“We’re on the doorstep of integrating the power of AI with these robots to perform to a higher degree of consistency,” Casella stated. “This will allow for the introduction of robotics into more spaces.”
Last month, the company announced its inclusion in the Russell 2000 and Russell 3000 small-cap indices.
In July, Richtech signed a $4 million agreement with Boyu Artificial Intelligence Technology Co. to expand the purchasing, service, and software licensing of ADAM, Scorpion, and Titan in China. The partnership includes establishing a research and development center in Beijing.
“We want to build out an ecosystem of partners that push on all of these technologies — hardware, software, AI, and language models,” Casella said. “Our founders have relationships with a variety of companies in China, where we have a small engineering office, collaborating with our Las Vegas-based team. Deployments of service robots are further along in Asia.”
“We’re always thinking of how to integrate robotics and automation into businesses,” he concluded. “It’s an exciting time for the hospitality space, and we’re always considering how to iterate and grow.”
