Hands-Free Vending, The Machine of the Future?
by Sam Rowzit
January 03, 2012 Innovative Ideas of the Month
Hands-Free Vending, The Machine of the Future?
by Sam Rowzit
Concerned about germs when you touch the buttons on a vending machine? Well, fear no more. A new hands-free vending machine, called “Touchless”, has finally been unveiled. We at Innnovative Ideas of the
Month have long awaited the debut of this product ever since we first picked up word about it three months ago at a recent food and beverage tradeshow. Even then, all we heard was a promise that it would completely change the vending machine industry, and from what we can tell it may do just that.
After inserting your bills into the newly created cash receptor that pulls money in lightning fast, even bills with bent corners, a voice command states, “Please tell me the item you want.” Instead of using the traditional keypad or touchscreen to select your item, one exciting feature of Touchless, which is manufactured by Hands Free Vending in Chicago, Illinois, is that it has a built-in microphone that allows a consumer to just speak the item name or location letter/number and the machine will retrieve the drink or snack. Another unique feature that makes this product revolutionary to the industry is how it delivers the selected product. Touchless has a safe, claw-like, rubber hand that grabs the food or drink and slowly and carefully extends out of the machine and literally hands your choice to you.
Now, you may say that this is not very hands free since you still have to grab the product, say a pop can. However, you would be wrong. Another clever feature is that the hand has a speaker that says, “say drop to release product”, and the built-in microphone in the hand picks up the consumer’s voice and lets the product go when it hears the word “drop.” In earlier consumer tests of the machines, shoppers thought this was a very handy feature because if a shopper is carrying a lot of bags, all that needs to be done by the shopper is maneuver one of the bags under the drink or snack and tell the machine to drop the product.
Are you wondering what happens if the microphone doesn’t work? So were we. Well, the machine does operate like a traditional machine as a back up, and a consumer can push buttons if they need to.
They created buttons with the product images on them so if the microphone isn’t working people can easily push the large buttons with a hand, foot, knee or leg to select and release a product.
When might you be able to use this new machine? Well, it may be in the market within the next month or two. It is being tested in schools and malls now and there are rumblings that the makers have been approached by several businesses interested in replacing some of their machines with this new vending machine by the end of this month. We cannot wait to see the effects be it positive or negative that this product will have and will definitely post about it.
So, if you are a business owner, run a school cafeteria or manage a shopping mall or movie theatre, and want the benefits of minimizing germs your customers get, providing a convenient way to get their product and having the coolest machine in your location, you can learn more about this product and place your order by calling 1-555-HND-FREE or visit HandsFreeVending.webs. com.
January 03, 2012 Innovative Ideas of the Month