We’ve got a new book coming out this month called ROBOTICA: Mechanical Marvels and Mind-Melting Machines of the Past, Present, and Future. Yep—it’s a book all about awesome robots. Here’s a little taste of the strange and wonderful robots you’ll find in that book.

This November, the maiden voyage of the Quantum of the Seas will revolutionize the way that vacationers journey across the oceans. The 167,800-ton boat is one of the most technologically sophisticated cruise liners ever built. Along with a skydiving simulator and wristbands that enable passengers to unlock their rooms and make dinner reservation, the ship also features a sleek lounge with robotic bartenders.

At the Bionic Bar, passengers place their orders via an electronic tablet, which beams their requests to one of the lounge’s metallic mixologists. Unfortunately, they’re not quite as sophisticated or chatty as the robotic bartenders like in The Fifth Element. The Bionic Bar’s bartenders consist of robotic arms like the ones found on assembly lines. Each one is capable of dispensing just the right amount of alcohol and can prepare drinks either stirred or on the rocks. They can also give them a splash of fresh juice from a slice of lime without making a huge mess.

The lounge and its bionic bartenders are the first of their kind to ever appear on a cruise ship. Meanwhile, researchers and entrepreneurs elsewhere are attempting to design a more perfect version. Last year, a small convention dubbed BarBot 2013.75 took over an event space in San Francisco and pitted several cybernetic suds-slingers against one another.

It could be another decade or so before you find a robot working the bar in your favorite watering hole, which should give us enough time to figure out how much to tip a robot bartender.