COFE+ robotic coffee kiosk outperforms human baristas in speed competition

Shanghai-based Hi-Dolphin Robot Technology said its seventh-generation COFE+ robotic café outperformed professional baristas during a competition at the 2026 Hongqiao International Coffee Culture Festival in China, according to a press release. The automated system prepared three specialty Americanos in 2 minutes, 43 seconds, compared with 3 minutes, 35 seconds for the human competitors. The robot averaged 54 seconds per cup, while the baristas averaged 72 seconds per cup. According to the company, the machine also achieved greater consistency in beverage weight, with a reported deviation of 0.8 grams compared with 2.1 grams for the human participants.

The seventh-generation COFE+ occupies approximately 25 square feet and can prepare more than 300 beverage combinations across eight categories, including coffee, milk tea, matcha and chocolate drinks. The system uses artificial intelligence to monitor more than 300 brewing parameters, including extraction pressure and water temperature. Designed for unattended operation, the kiosk can serve hot and cold beverages and produce customized latte art. Hi-Dolphin said the equipment has a projected service life of 10 years or 500,000 cups and can operate in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments.

Hi-Dolphin said its automated café model can reduce operating overhead by more than 90% compared with conventional coffee shops, with beverage production costs ranging from 30 to 70 cents per cup. The company estimates that one operator can remotely manage 10 machines, with each machine requiring less than 15 minutes to restock. Hi-Dolphin said it has deployments in nearly 70 countries and more than 200 cities, including airports, universities, corporate campuses and transportation hubs.