Share Happy vending machine dispenses ice cream for a smile (and your soul)
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted June 25th 2010 3:03PM
posted June 25th 2010 3:03PM
We thought the Let's Pizza machine was wild, but this next item is downright scary... and delicious! The brainchild of Unilever (the company that owns Ben & Jerry's, Good Humor, Breyers, Klondike, and Wall's), Share Happy is a $20,000 Sapient-built ice cream vending machine that takes your picture, using facial recognition to determine if you're smiling and Photo Booth-esque features (superimposing "funny hats, a mustache, glasses, bow tie, afro hair, things like that," on your mug) to coax you into smiling. And once it determines that you are smiling, it gives you a free ice cream treat -- but not before collecting valuable demographic information by analyzing the image for things like gender and approximate age and asking you to sign away your likeness for promotional use. The images are sent to Unilever HQ a few times an hour, using either Ethernet, WiFi, or 3G. Camera shy? Don't worry, you'll still be able to pay for your junk food the old fashioned way. Currently being tested in Singapore, Lisbon, and Paris, with a UK test planned "soonish." Check the thing out on video by hitting the source link.
make sure to not look ugly :O
@SirShaq
FREE ICE-CREAM FOR A SMILE?!
I'll take it! Oh yes, it's in Singapore.
@SirShaq so if you were born ugly...no free ice cream for you!
@SirShaq
I'm from Singapore, and I can tell you that the people here, will do anything for free stuff.
@serge nothing a little BOTOX can't fix...O wait, then you wont be able to smile.
@SirShaq
It seems like iPhone 4 owners will not get any ice cream. What a shame.
@Revolutionary I'm sure pedo-files won't have a hard time smiling
@SirShaq so wait - Unilever makes stuff like body soap too...
and there's something distinctly Pavlov about this entire thing...
@SirShaq i would be at that machine once a day
i dont care if im in a commercial as long as the ice cream comes free forever!!!
You may dispense with the frozen pleasantries, machine
@Lord Vader
What no "The dark side of the force is strong with this machine"?
What a rip off. I want a new Vador.
Picard can destroy Vador, hand's down
It's "Vader" slaves, not "vador". If you want Vador you should search for the KIRF commenter "Lord Vador"
@Lord Vader Doesn't matter.
@Lord Vader That comment was Genius. How the hell did nobody know you were cleverly interpreting your phrase "You may dispense with the Pleasantries, commander"
@MrT
i pity the fools who talk back to the Sith Lord
@Lord Vader
Always a laugh my lord!
@MrT
Because not everyone memorizes trivial lines from every Star Wars movie. Except virgins. They do.
OM NOM NOM.
what does this have to do with the iPhone?
@Xtole C'mon, this is Engadget. EVERYTHING has to do with the iPhone.
@Indefinite Implosion
How many scoops for a shatter back, yellow-stained, non-working iPhone?
Cue pornographic photos in 3...2...1...
@ItalianScallion lol
Mmmmmmmmm free Diabetes.
You know, this is exactly how the telescreens started.
I wonder how quickly that thing runs out of ice cream
Looks like a penis and the hotter you are the larger it gets.
@Jaylittles531
No
Man, what's so funny 'bout a "fro"? Motherf......s
@Dank Dillweed
Because people with afros are hilarious LOL They're like...all big and round and full of different species of lice HAHA! Come on, that's funny.
You sell your soul and don't even get to choose the flavor? Work of the devil I tell you.
Anyways, how big is the cup?
@patrickbateman Actually, you do get to choose, but it's not soft-serve. It's a bar or sandwich of some sort. The kind you find in the freezer chest of a convenience store. So it's totally not worth it.
@bondfool Ah, I see. Thanks for the info mate =)
@patrickbateman
The cup is big enough for two girls.
I think I'd try to find an image of Hitler smiling (or Photoshop it if necessary) and print that out for the machine to scan.
Reminds me of http://www.dashndem.com/dr_whippy.html
NO ICE CREAM FOR YOU!!!
Is advertising data really that valuable?
@Methoxychlor Is a stupid ice cream that expensive?
Share and Enjoy.
Vould you like a happy vending?
What if you simply hold a photo of someone smiling in front of the camera?
@nbolmer
Then you have just spent more energy circumventing a system that is designed for everyone to easily achieve and have confirmed the severity of your downs syndrome.
Yeah I would spend $1000+ for a flight to a free Ice Cream machine.
Am I the only one that thinks it is a terrible deal to sign away your face for endless tv advertising when all you are paid is a single ice cream? I would just pay.
Can't wait for the Mardi Gras bead dispensing version...
They'd better hope it works on black people.
lol