QUEUEING at a bar could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a Pontywaun inventor.

Alun King, a college lecturer in Crosskeys, and his university friend Chris Whitcombe, of Cardiff, have developed a cocktail-making robot that mixes drinks at the touch of a button.

The Cardiff University graduates created the BoozeBot to help drinkers mix their own cocktails in bars or at home without the need for recipes, measuring tools and mixing equipment.

Five years after first floating the idea, the 28-year-olds are now ready to introduce their invention to the public.

Mr King said: “The Boozebot has been a while in the making, but it has real potential to take the drinks market by storm. All you need to do is connect your ingredients and the BoozeBot will work out what cocktails it can make, then display them for you to select and pour.”

The idea for the BoozeBot was born on a night out in Cardiff five years ago, when the university friends, who were both studying computer science, got fed up waiting to be served.

Mr King added: “I remember us both being at a bar queuing for drinks. We soon realised the queue was so slow because of the time it takes to mix and pour a cocktail at a bar compared to any other drink.

“We’re both into computers and technology, so Chris and I looked at making our own automated cocktail dispenser. Several prototypes later, we arrived at the BoozeBot.”

The BoozeBot, which is powered by Raspberry Pi technology, comes with a regularly-updated library of more than 100 ingredients and 500 cocktails. Its touch screen allows users to vary the strength of their drinks and create and store their own blends.