I Got Served by a Jamba Juice Robot!

Last week, I read an article about a robotic Jamba Juice Smoothie maker. It was completely automated and would select, blend, and serve your drink automatically. I also saw a funny Tik Tok video of the robot failing to do its job correctly.
Tik Tok video: https://www.tiktok.com/@cyncity22/vid...

So, earlier this week, I went to the Stonegate mall in Downey to try out the machine.

You can order a smoothie through the Jamba Juice app or via the tablet at the kiosk. You need to enter your name, phone number, and email, which is a bit of a pain and slows down the ordering process. Once you submit your information and pay, the robot gets to work!

The kiosk contains bins of fruit and vegetables. From what I could tell, there were bananas, mangos, kale, and strawberries, and some yogurt and other add-ins, like protein powder. The robot moves the blender container from bin to bin to collect the right amount of each ingredient. In my case, the bananas didn't come out of the first bin correctly (maybe they were frozen together?) so it had to try again with the second bin of bananas. The robot then blends everything together, dispenses a cup, and pours the smoothie into the cup. In my case, the robot executed a perfect pour!

When the robot is done pouring, automated coasters escort your cup to the pickup area. You enter your phone number to open the sliding window that allows you to access your smoothie.

Conclusions
What did I think of the Jamba Juice robot?

On one hand, it's cool. I've never been served a smoothie by a completely automated machine before.

On the other hand, it was SLOW. It took 5 minutes to make the smoothie, and another few minutes to place the order. The speed of the robot is inconsistent. The people before me in line took over 15 minutes to get their smoothie. I would guess that a human in a Jamba juice store could have made a smoothie in about half the time. Plus, with multiple people behind the counter at a Jamba Juice store, you wouldn't have to wait as long in line.

In addition, the selection is more limited than what you'd find in a regular Jamba Juice store.

You might gain a little bit of convenience if you order your smoothie ahead of time using the app. However, you won't have a good idea of when to pick up your drink. The robot has no way of knowing how many people are in line, so you really wouldn't know how long you'll be waiting until it's your turn in line.

So, in conclusion, this was a fun experience, and I commend Jamba for investing in this machine to automate its processes. I think we'll see improvements in the future. But I don't think that any of the employees at Jamba Juice or any of its competitors should be worried about losing their jobs anytime soon.