Got some free time this summer because you're not building a Burning Man camp? In September, DNA Lounge will host a competition for robotics nerds who are also cocktail nerds to build the finest and most stylish cocktail-making robot. First prize at the "Cocktail Robotics Grand Challenge" is $1000, and in addition to style and grace, machines will be judged for their ability to make decent cocktails, and for how completely functional they are as robots.

The unveiling and judging will happen on Sunday, September 14, and the event organizers are calling on all "engineers, makers, artists, hardware hackers, professional cocktail roboticists, and hobbyists" to compete for the title of "Best Android Bartender." (And, it sounds like the machines have to be more hands-free than the Rube Goldberg-esque Corpse Reviver machine they have around the corner at OddJob in SoMa.)

The fun will start at 5 p.m. on September 14, and the competition will start at 9:30 p.m. There's a contest entry fee of $45 per robot, with First Place taking home $1000, Second Place $500, and Third Place $250.

Event co-producer and longtime columnist on the subjects of sex, tech, and privacy, Violet Blue explains, "Imagine if every exhibit you interacted with at the Exploratorium served you a cocktail in some wondrous mechanical way, and it's easy to see why people love cocktail robots."

DNA has long prided itself on its connections to SF's tech culture, like its 24/7 live video webcasts which have been running since 1999 and run off 10 separate cameras throughout the club. Club owner Jamie Zawinski is a well known open-source hacker and was one of the founders of Netscape and Mozilla. In a press release he was asked whether he would consider replacing DNA Lounge's current staff with android replacements, and he said, "We would never, ever do that, unless we decided to. I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords."

The deadline for contest entrants is August 31, and you can register here.

Event details and advance tickets ($10) are here.