Japan to Get Mind-Reading Vending Machine

Have you ever walked up to a vending machine and hoped that it could recommend a tasty beverage? Well, likely not, but in case you did, you should probably plan a trip to Japan, where such a thing is being rolled out en masse. Within the next two years, the company behind them promises that there will be at least 500 units around.

The advanced vending machine works its magic by sizing up the person standing in front of it, such as identifying both the sex and age. From that information and other things, the machine will recommend a drink if the purchaser wants to take that route. Things like the weather, time of day, and time of year might come into play with these recommendations.

What also makes these vending machines a little interesting is that rather than have a glass (or plastic) window and buttons run up and down the side of it, these machines will instead feature a 47-inch touchscreen LCD display. So instead of hitting a real button, people will simply have to tap the screen.

Of course, to make the best use of space, the LCD display will also have the ability to run advertisements when the machine is not in use, and also display anything else that the company behind them want to, such as pictures to suit the day, or words of wisdom. It’s certainly an interesting design, but I don’t think I’d mind using a machine like this. It’s about time the lowly vending machine sees a proper update!

When a customer nears the machine, only images of the available drinks will be displayed. The machines come equipped with sensors that can recognize age and sex with a 75% accuracy, and make recommendations based on the situation, Nikkei reported. Customers can also zoom in on a particular selection to get more detailed product information if desired.