Cool new vending machine on the way

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has been testing a new generation of all-seeing, all-knowing drink vending machines.

CCA has been testing the interactive fridges for the past year, and has now come up with a box that can be fitted to the top of any vending machine or ATM to make it smart, according to AdNews.

The IM Display Box was developed by Australian digital agency TKM9, and uses Microsoft Kinect technology to incorporate gesture recognition, facial recognition, augmented reality; and it picks up data on consumers who interact with the vending machine.

The coolers feature a transparent digital screen on the front, an interactive screen on the side and a camera with facial recognition technology to capture consumers' age, gender and mood, so that the right content, from campaigns to games to product information, can be served up to consumers.
For instance, the fridge could play a song a consumer might like, based on their gender, approximate age and mood.

The IM Display Box is the result of Coke's trial of 50 smart fridges over the past 12 months across Australia, Atlanta, Tokyo and London.

The IM Display Box can be made to fit any shape or size of vending machine. TKM9 has made a prototype of the IM Display Box. It is yet to be rolled out into the market.