A recent patent filed by Starbucks details a machine that can make drinks with colored layers that match the attire of customers at the renowned coffee franchise.
The US company could potentially allow customers to upload photos of their clothing to its mobile app showing the colors they want in their drinks, according to Business Insider.
As he recalls a report published on the website of standardStarbucks currently allows you to customize your order through its app for an additional fee, including options to add additional sauces and syrups, milk or a milk substitute, ice, and whipped cream.
In the UK, the company’s app also rewards its users with three stars for every £1 they spend, which can be redeemed for a free drink when you reach 150 stars.
Starbucks, a place of customizable drinks
In total, Starbucks offers 170,000 ways to personalize drinks in its stores. The extras helped Starbucks rake in an additional $1 billion in annual sales, the firm’s North America president, Sara Trilling, said recently.
The company’s patent claims the new machine can make life easier for baristas by guiding them through recipes so they don’t have to memorize them. It can also clean itself and dole out extras like syrups and flavorings to prevent arm fatigue for employees.
More broadly, automation could lead to more drinks being produced and fewer errors, Starbucks notes in the February 9 patent filing.
But the real novelty lies in the new customizations that the system can produce. Starbucks claims the machine could recommend colors based on the day of the week, time of day, weather, and holidays. It could even generate more localized recipes, including colors based on a sports team during game day at a stadium.