Italian architect Carlo Ratti has revealed his concept for an autonomous robotic cafe and bar that would make on-demand cocktails for city-dwellers wherever they are.

The driverless drinks cart, called Guido, has a unit with two mechanical arms – one for shaking and stirring and another for pouring and serving – that can accurately prepare and serve any drink within seconds, mounted onto a self-driving vehicle platform.

Billed as the world's first self-driving bar unit, Guido was devised in collaboration with Ratti's company Makr Shakr in a bid to offer new leisure experiences in urban environments.

The concept is a development on Ratti's mass-market robotic cocktail maker, called Nino, which has the capacity to mix an infinite variety of cocktails using up to 170 bottles of different spirits stored in its overhead rack.

"Guido is the application of a city-on-demand paradigm," said Makr Shakr CEO Emanuele Rossetti.

"By matching Makr Shakr's robotic bartenders with the mobility systems of the future researched by Carlo Ratti Associati, we can put forward a new idea for the experience of leisure."

"Our company has always encouraged a paradigm of participation when it comes to making your own drink," he added.

"Now, what happens if you extend the same approach to the city? With Guido, we show how technologies can make cities more responsive, and ultimately more fun."

For the time being, Guido is just a concept, but Carlo Ratti Associati plans to make it into a reality later his year.

Customers would be able to use an app to book Guido and order it to meet them in their current location, like a "drink-hailing" version of on-demand transport services such as Uber.

Guido, which translates to "I drive" in Italian, would use self-driving technology to move around autonomously and reach its customer, who can then order a drink via the app.

The system would be able to scan its customer's ID to verify their age, and allow them to pay using their mobile phone.

Ratti envisions this on-the-go drink experience as a way of utilising the latest technologies to offer new social opportunities in the capital, and to create new social dynamics by bring different groups of people together in "serendipitous, smaller hubs of activity".

"Right now, in many cities, small central areas are full of life while only a few steps away more peripheral areas are empty and lifeless, and sometimes unsafe," explained Carlo Ratti Associati.

"Guido offers an alternative, imagining that different parts of the city can be activated by the opportunity to enjoy one's leisure time on their streets," the company added.

Guido is a continuation of Ratti's interest in autonomous mobility, which saw him reveal a concept for a smart road system back in January 2018, which features swarms of drones that deliver first aid, monitor traffic and detect accidents in preparation for the arrival of self-driving vehicles.

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