Hockey, Hospitality and High-Tech: How an AI Robot Bartender Is Redefining the Fan Experience in Las Vegas
AI Cheers On game night at Las Vegas’s iconic T-Mobile Arena, the roar of the crowd, the crack of the puck against the boards and the pulse of music between plays are all part of the spectacle. But for fans of the Vegas Golden Knights, there’s now another attraction drawing crowds — one that doesn’t wear skates or a jersey. Behind the bar, mixing cocktails with machine-like precision and uncanny flair, stands ADAM, an AI-powered robot bartender that represents a bold new intersection of sports, entertainment and artificial intelligence.
Developed by Las Vegas–based Richtech Robotics, ADAM — short for Automated Dual Arm Mixologist — is more than a crowd-pleasing novelty. It is a working example of how advanced robotics and AI can help solve real-world challenges in the hospitality industry while delivering a futuristic, unforgettable customer experience. Powered by NVIDIA’s cutting-edge robotics and AI platforms, ADAM is transforming how fans interact with technology in public venues — one perfectly poured drink at a time.
Addressing a Growing Challenge in Hospitality
The hospitality industry has faced mounting pressure in recent years. Labor shortages, rising operational costs and growing expectations for faster, more engaging service have pushed operators to rethink traditional staffing models. For high-traffic venues like sports arenas, where thousands of orders can arrive within minutes, maintaining speed, consistency and quality is a constant challenge.
ADAM was designed with these realities in mind. Rather than replacing human staff, the robot augments service operations by handling repetitive, time-sensitive tasks — such as mixing and pouring drinks — while allowing human employees to focus on customer interaction and higher-value responsibilities.
“The hospitality industry faces significant labor challenges, and ADAM is our answer to meeting those needs while elevating the customer experience,” said Matt Casella, president of Richtech Robotics. “With NVIDIA’s Isaac platform, we’ve developed a solution that’s scalable, consistent and, frankly, creates memorable moments for fans. The response at T-Mobile Arena has been phenomenal — people love interacting with ADAM.”
And interact they do. Fans frequently stop to watch ADAM work, record videos for social media and strike up conversations about the technology behind the robot. In a city known for spectacle and innovation, ADAM fits right in.
Training a Robot Bartender — Before It Ever Pours a Drink
While ADAM’s performance behind the bar appears effortless, its skills are the result of extensive training that took place long before it ever entered the arena. Instead of learning exclusively in the physical world — a slow and costly process — ADAM was trained extensively in a virtual environment using NVIDIA Isaac Sim, an open-source robotics simulation framework built on NVIDIA Omniverse.
Richtech Robotics recreated ADAM’s entire workstation in simulation, down to the placement of cups, bottles, utensils and even lighting conditions. This high-fidelity, physically accurate digital twin allowed engineers to expose the robot to countless scenarios it might encounter in the real world.
One of the key advantages of simulation was the ability to generate synthetic data. By simulating reflections, glare, shadows and variations in object placement, the team taught ADAM how to recognize and handle items reliably — even under challenging conditions common in busy, brightly lit venues like T-Mobile Arena.
ADAM’s core skills — pouring, shaking, grasping and positioning — were refined using Isaac Lab, NVIDIA’s open-source robot learning framework. Through reinforcement learning and iterative testing, ADAM learned not just to follow pre-programmed motions, but to adapt dynamically to its environment with accuracy and consistency.
The result is a robot bartender that can respond to small changes — such as a slightly misplaced cup or an unexpected reflection — without human intervention.
Real-Time Intelligence at the Edge
Once deployed in the real world, ADAM relies on powerful edge computing to operate seamlessly in a live, high-demand environment. At its core is NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin, a compact yet powerful edge AI platform capable of delivering up to 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS).
Using Isaac ROS 2 libraries, ADAM processes multiple camera feeds in real time, allowing it to perceive its surroundings, detect objects and continuously recalibrate its workspace. Its perception stack — trained with NVIDIA TAO Toolkit and optimized using TensorRT — enables ADAM to identify cups, track liquid levels and adjust its movements with remarkable precision.
Latency is critical in a live service environment, and ADAM delivers responses in less than 40 milliseconds. This allows the robot to detect issues such as a cup being slightly out of position, foam rising too close to the rim or a potential spill — and correct its actions instantly.
The end result is a smooth, reliable performance that matches the pace of a packed sports arena, all while maintaining consistency from one drink to the next.
More Than Entertainment: A Blueprint for Scalable Robotics
While ADAM’s presence at Golden Knights games captures attention, Richtech Robotics views the robot as part of a much larger vision. The same technologies that allow ADAM to mix drinks can be adapted for a wide range of service and commercial environments — from hotels and airports to cruise ships and event venues.
Because ADAM’s AI models were trained using a combination of simulation and real-world data, the system can be scaled, customized and redeployed with minimal retraining. This flexibility is critical for businesses looking to adopt robotics without extensive downtime or infrastructure changes.
From the Bar to the Factory Floor: Enter Dex
At the same time ADAM is serving fans at T-Mobile Arena, Richtech Robotics is pushing deeper into industrial automation with Dex, a new mobile humanoid robot designed for factory and warehouse environments.
Recently unveiled at GTC DC, Dex combines the mobility of an autonomous wheeled platform with the dexterity of dual robotic arms. Unlike traditional industrial robots that are fixed in place, Dex is built to move through dynamic environments, interact with different workstations and handle a wide range of tasks.
Dex is designed for light-to-medium industrial applications, including machine operation, parts sorting, material handling and packaging. Its modular design allows it to switch tools and adapt to different workflows, making it suitable for facilities that require flexibility rather than rigid automation.
Industrial Intelligence Powered by NVIDIA Thor
Dex runs on NVIDIA Jetson Thor, a next-generation robotics processor designed to deliver advanced real-time sensor processing and AI reasoning in complex environments. This computing power allows Dex to navigate crowded factory floors, respond to unexpected changes and coordinate precise arm movements while in motion.
Like ADAM, Dex was trained using a blend of real-world data and synthetic data generated in Isaac Sim. This hybrid training approach enabled Richtech Robotics to generalize Dex’s AI models across numerous scenarios, reducing the need for environment-specific programming.
By training in simulation first, Dex can be rapidly deployed into new facilities with minimal setup, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for industrial robotics.
A Glimpse Into the Future of Human–Robot Interaction
Together, ADAM and Dex illustrate how robotics is evolving beyond isolated industrial cells into public, social and highly dynamic environments. Whether serving drinks to hockey fans or handling materials in a warehouse, these robots are designed to work alongside people — enhancing productivity, consistency and experience rather than replacing human roles outright.
At T-Mobile Arena, ADAM has become a symbol of what’s possible when advanced AI meets thoughtful design. Fans don’t just see a machine pouring drinks; they see a glimpse of a future where robotics seamlessly integrates into everyday life.
As AI and robotics continue to mature, the question is no longer whether robots belong in public spaces — but how creatively and responsibly they can be deployed. In Las Vegas, at least, the future is already being served — shaken, not stirred.
Source Link:https://blogs.nvidia.com/
