Designed by Japanese industrial designer Fumie Shibata for the Japanese beverage company JR East Water Business, the 'Acure' digital vending machine features technology beyond any vending machine you've seen before. Equipped with a massive 47-inch touchscreen display, the vending machine is sure to produce a large amount of revenue and attention.
On top of its beautiful display is a camera that captures images and gathers data on the individual approaching the device. The camera relays images to the machine's processor and approximates age and sex in order to display appropriate drink recommendations based on the data it captures.
After users select a product from the machine's wide range of choices, customers will be able to see additional information regarding the product and the machine is even nice enough to thank customers for their patronage.
This vending machine's innovative marketing strategy, referred to as 'intelligent marketing' doesn't only gather information about its potential customers but also uses external information such as time of day, temperate, and season. Using the data collected from weather information, the vending machine showcases products that are appropriate for the weather such as a cold class of lemonade on a sunny day or a hot coffee on a cold morning.
The 'Acure' vending machine is currently being installed throughout Tokyo's busy areas such as train stations and large malls. The company plans to install at least 500 machines throughout Japan by 2012.
