A CURIOUS sight greets customers of Singtel's flagship store at its Comcentre headquarters: a single robotic arm in a transparent box, clad in red, with a small tablet cataloguing the myriad drinks on offer.

After a customer orders and makes payment, the arm automatically moves to place a cup in the right spot, as the machine's coffee-making process ensues. Within a few minutes, the selection is ready to be picked up from the collection point, having been prepared from beginning to end without the need for a human touch.

Singtel's robot barista is the brainchild of Singapore- and China-based food and beverage (F&B) robotics start-up Ross Digital, which has brought automation to F&B operations since 2017.