From today, waiting at the bar is a thing of the past thanks to new, Smart Cube technology from MARTINI. The traditional ice-cube shaped device is added to your drink in addition to regular, square ice-cubes. As you consume your drink, the MARTINI Smart Cube uses Bluetooth technology to anticipate when your drink is finished and communicates with the bar in real-time. Staff can prepare drinks in advance so you don't have to wait. It also keeps track of the number of drinks you've consumed to encourage responsible drinking.
Created by MARTINI, the world’s leading vermouth and best-selling sparkling wine brand, and their agency partner AMV BBDO, the MARTINI Smart Cube will be premiered at the Terrazza MARTINI Darsena, at the Italian F1 Grand Prix at Monza this weekend.
The MARTINI Smart Cube was created with advanced design software and the final product cases were injection-molded in food-safe resin. As well as providing its real-time ordering technology, it also functions as a traditional ice-cube, thanks to Aerogel, a technology created by NASA, which keeps the temperature of the cube cool, and allows it to stay buoyant.
“At MARTINI, we believe that time with friends is time well spent. Our Smart Cube technology means that you can do just that instead of queuing at the bar,” says Laila Mignoni, Creative Excellence Director, MARTINI. “There’s huge potential for innovation within the beverage industry and this is just the beginning."
James Rowley, Director of Creative Technology at AMV BBDO, adds, "Creating an ice-cube packed with technology presented some difficult challenges. Bluetooth signal strength is reduced significantly when immersed in liquid. But by tweaking the power and carefully positioning the antenna we managed to get the range to about 30 metres, even in a busy bar environment."
The MARTINI Smart Cube will be trialled across the Terrazza MARTINI pop up activity during Grand Prix races.
How the MARTINI Smart Cube technology works