By
Alex Smith |
MSC Cruises has revealed details of the MSC Starship Club, an integrated bar and entertainment experience that will be featured onboard the line’s new ship MSC Virtuosa.
The venue is inspired by the spaceship of the future and is enabled with new technologies intended to create a futuristic atmosphere. Among these will be Rob, the first humanoid robotic bartender at sea. Rob will mix and serve signature cocktails and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as well as engaging with guests with its human-like expressions and in eight different languages.
According to MSC, Rob’s personality will evolve based on the surrounding settings and atmosphere, with guests experiencing a new interaction each time they return. It can recognise and respond to people passing nearby through an intelligent human movement recognition system, while the movement of its arms, body, and head is designed to mimic those of a real bartender. Human bartenders will also be available to assist and prepare drinks.
Guests will use digital cockpits within the area to place their orders, and the status of cocktail preparation will be displayed through monitors and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the central robotic island. Drinks will be served in custom-designed glasses that can be collected as a souvenir. Other features of the Starship Club will include 3D holograms, a digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table that allows guests to explore space in a personalised galactic tour.
The venue onboard MSC Virtuosa has been in development for six years, during which MSC has worked with specialists in robotics and automation, interior design, and entertainment and digital experience solutions. The ship is currently scheduled to enter service in April with three-, four- and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean, before redeploying to Northern Europe in the summer to offer a range of itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.