Pandora's Box

Pandora's Box is an automated cocktail-pouring machine designed to transform the bar and restaurant experience by delivering a quick, safe, and consistent solution for ordering drinks. Born from the challenges of the pandemic, my roommate and I created this innovative product as an elegant culmination of our mechanical design, electrical engineering, and full stack development experience. Over the course of the project, we iterated through four mechanical versions and three software versions—evolving from initial CAD designs to a pressurized solenoid system with a fully integrated tablet application and cloud deployment, complete with 16 bottle slots that allow the machine to serve hundreds of different drink combinations in under five seconds per pour.

We deployed our third prototype in 2020 at a Boulder, CO restaurant, where it was projected to save the business $1,500–$2,000 each month. We even took it backstage at a music festival, serving VIPs 265 drinks in a single night. This project was a tremendous learning experience in taking a complex product from 0 to 1 and embracing the entrepreneurship journey. In addition to overcoming significant technical challenges, the process taught us the importance of agile development, real-time iteration, and gathering user feedback to continuously refine the product—a mindset that continues to drive my approach to innovation.