NEC’s Tasting Robot has been singled out by the 2008 Guinness World Records as the world's very first robot sommelier. Developed by NEC System Technologies Ltd. and professor Atsushi Hashimoto's team at Mie University the robot can accurately assess a wine's type and ingredients by simply holding a sensor over the bottle. In addition to wines, the robot can also differentiate between various kinds of fruits and cheeses. Although still in the lab, it seems only a matter of time before such robots start putting hapless McCooks on the unemployment line.

Via The Yomiuri Shimbun