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Coca-Cola is launching vending machine subscriptions in Japan
Coca-Cola is launching a subscription service in Japan via its Coke on smartphone app that offers a soda per day for a monthly fee.
Fuji Electric releasing first coin-operated EV fast charger, gives electric cars extra life
Fuji Electric Retail Systems Co. is no stranger to flipping coins for profit, thanks to a robust lineup of vending machines such as the A011. The Japanese company, however, has also branched out from dispensing hot and cold drinks for change by supplementing its offerings with a different kind of juice. Meet the FRCM00CK -- the industry's first coin-operated fast charger for electric vehicles, according to Fuji Electric. The charger measures 300mm wide, 400mm deep, 1,210mm tall and tips the scale at 41 kilograms. It also doesn't take paper currency, limiting its appetite to coins in ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500 denominations. The machine's product page doesn't give specifics about how long it takes to charge vehicles but says it can provide a maximum charging time of 60 minutes. Incidentally, Fuji Electric's US site states that its FRC series of EV chargers can completely power up a 25 kWh electric vehicle battery in about 60 minutes. The coin-operated charger will cost ¥600,000 or about $7,600 and is slated for a 2012 release. Some may argue that it doesn't have quite the geek cool of the Roto-A-Matic or the WiFi vending machine. Still, the FRCM00CK is decidedly more electric.
Roto-a-Matic retro vending machine injection molds toys while you wait (video)
The advent of 3D printing is most certainly upon us, and its helped injection molding make the crucial transition from dated tech to a retro novelty. The Roto-a-Matic has recently gone live in toy maker Rotofugi's store in Chicago, and will create a polyethylene plastic figurine for you in under a minute, provided you feed it a token. Rotofugi and product design company Squibbles INK have given the vintage Mold-a-Rama vending machine a new lease of life, and now they are looking for artists to contribute designs for future molds. Currently a one-eyed dragon designed by sculptor Tim Biskup is on offer for Chicago-based hipsters, but for the wind-averse, a token-to-toy video demo resides beyond the fold.
Visualized: industrial vending machines are a modder's best friend
The perfect compliment to a massive hackerspace like Massachusetts's Artisan's Asylum? An industrial vending machine stocked with all the necessities for your average modder. Fastenal specializes in business industrial vending machines, stocking up units with things like office and first aid supplies. The company also provides cutting tools and materials for welders and metal fabricators, making it a bit of a godsend for hackerspace communities, where venturing out to a hardware store often means an annoying interruption of a project's workflow -- or, as a woman at the space told us: a lot of people order takeout because they don't want leave when they're working, so it sort of makes sense that the space would offer up such a solution. Members swipe their cards, applying the charges to their membership accounts. The thing stocks welding gloves, dust masks, screw drivers, tape measures, various adhesives and multi-tools, so modders never have to leave to safety of their hackerspace again.
Defcon 20 visitors get their own 'pirate' cellular network in Ninja Tel, exclusive One V to match
The annual Defcon hacking meetup produces its share of unique creations. You know you're in for something special when even your entrance badge is an adventure. Defcon 20 might be winding to a close, but about 650 guests may just have the fondest memory of all: access to a private, ad hoc GSM carrier from Ninja Networks. While the collective's Ninja Tel is really an invitation to a party at the Rio Hotel, where the lone cell site operates out of a van, it lets the privileged few call and text each other to their hearts' content over cellular and WiFi. The network operators can unsurprisingly eavesdrop on any of the completely unencrypted calls -- this is a hacker's convention, after all -- but we don't think guests mind after getting an equally rare, customized HTC One V for free to make the calls in question. The Android 4.0 phone gets unique perks like triggering a nearby vending machine with Qualcomm's AllJoyn or making apps on the spot through Google's Integrated Development Environment. Owners can even reflash the One V to hop on AT&T or T-Mobile afterwards. Just don't expect to see Ninja Tel popping up in your hometown anytime soon; when Defcon shuts its doors, the cellular network shuts down.
Coca-Cola's A011 vending machine keeps drinks cool without using (much) power
So maybe that self-chilling soda didn't pan out, but Coca-Cola is working on another method for keeping its beverages cool without using power. In partnership with Fuji Electric Retail Systems, the company has developed the A011 vending machine, which is capable of keeping drinks frosty for up to 16 hours a day without using energy. The A011 works by shifting the cooling process from mid-day, when energy use is higher, to nighttime, when there is a higher power capacity. Even after the machine stops powering the chilling, the unit's temperature only rises slightly, thanks to vacuum insulation and an airtight design. Great in theory, right? Well Coca-Cola Japan will put the product to the test this summer with a two-month pilot program in two of Japan's toastiest areas, Tajimi City in Gifu Prefecture and Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture. If things go well, the company will tweak the A011 to extend the amount of time it can go without power. Room-temperature soda is the worst, so here's hoping it works.
ShelfX's Vending Fridge nixes the cashier, uses QR codes, RFID to 'know what you took'
QR codes and RFID tags aren't uncommon when it comes to automated payment applications, and now Colorado-based ShelfX has purposed them for its new wireless-equipped Vending Fridges. Eliminating the need for a cashier -- or cash, for that matter -- each unit allows you to purchase any items packed inside by scanning a QR code with your phone (using the company's app) or an RFID badge. Upon presenting either method to the machine, it's able to tell who you are and unlocks its door. From there, you can grab whatever you'd like, while ShelfX automatically pulls funds your account for what's been removed. The system is also smart enough to know when goods are put back, so you won't have to worry about being charged while making up your mind. All of the money goes through ShelfX, allowing it to take "a small percentage" for itself before sending a monthly payment to owners. The Vending Fridge is currently on sale for $600, and a retrofitting kit for your own fridge is also available for half that amount -- no word on whether it has kid-blocking or crab-proofing options, though. You'll find more information in the press release just after the break.
Japanese vending machine doubles as WiFi hotspot -- no purchase required
It looks as if facial scans for snack-dispensing purposes isn't the only mind-blowing feature on the whiz-bang generation of vending machines. Japanese company Asahi has just unveiled an advanced dispenser that's capable of doubling as a WiFi hotspot, so good luck getting through the mobs of leechers just to buy a soda. The machine sends out the internet waves free of charge and covers about 164 feet around it; of note, there's a 30-minute limit on each session -- but it's nothing that a fresh login can't solve. Asahi is planning on rolling out 1,000 of these in the upcoming year, but if you don't call the Land of the Rising Sun your home, you won't be able to experience the smart vendors anytime soon. Now, if only this same magic would slide over to park benches, blades of grass and molecules of oxygen, we'd be content.
Kraft vending machine teases children with adult-only pudding dispenser (video)
We've seen odd and law-swerving vending machines before, but none as meanspirited as Kraft's collaboration with Intel that only gives pudding samples to adults. The unimaginatively titled iSample denies the youthful its sweet nectar by taking a facial scan and determining dessert deservedness based on biometric data, like how far apart your facial features are. Part experiment, part publicity stunt, Intel is trying out technologies that could recommend products based on age. The company also claims it may retrofit the technology into existing machines to let companies study who's buying its products; Kraft is clearly in it just to deny children some pudding. To see if you have spent enough time at the fountain of youth, head down to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium or New York's South Street Seaport, and take your place in the line of parents ordering one for their progeny. Check the promo video after the break to see the machine wiping disappointment all over the kids' little faces.
Nokia's Foursquare-enabled vending machine offers free smartphones, Butterfingers (video)
Sure, it's one thing to hit up the vending machine at work to get your Doritos fix, but free gifts? That's exactly what Nokia's doing at the Skypark in Glasgow for the city's Social Media Week with the help of 1000heads. Dubbed the "Nokia Gift Machine," it allows event attendees to obtain one free gift per day including candy from the US of A, Nokia accessories and even smartphones for a lucky few. All it takes is a quick Foursquare check-in with #NokiaConnects followed by a share over Twitter, and a goodie-filled tube will be yours for the taking. It'll only be in place until the 23rd, so if you're there and haven't given it whirl, consider this a quick heads-up from your friends at Engadget. Plus, who doesn't love getting awesome stuff for free? Exactly. Full details in the PR past the break.
3D glasses vending machine lets you be fashionable in the dark
There are certain things worth paying to upgrade: earbuds, perhaps, and maybe even Spotify. But when it comes to buying fancy 3D glasses for the sole purpose of looking cool in a pitch-black theater -- well, aren't we already spending enough on popcorn and Funyuns? EX3D doesn't seem to think so. Starting August 13th, moviegoers in San Diego will be able to trade in those freebies for fashion at a 3D glasses vending machine. At $22 - $30 a pop, these "affordable" and "stylish" glasses may be a boon for those who wouldn't be caught dead wearing the same specs as their friends. Of course, you can also use these babies out of the theater on a passive 3D TV. As for us? We'll stick with the freebies, thank you very much. Jump past the break for the full PR.
AutoWed vending machine concept offers marriage of convenience, nuptials at $1 a pop (video)
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to introduce to you perhaps the most outlandish concept we've seen all year. Looking something akin to a Moroccan Barbie accessory, and sporting a small portrait of Jesus Christ, the AutoWed Wedding machine has blasphemy written all over it. Pop in a dollar or a pound, depending on your location, and in moments you're served with a pair of plastic wedding bands and a personalized certificate, (unofficially) sealing the deal. And to think we ever raised a brow at that live crab vending machine.
Japanese vending machines to get EV chargers, will quench both thirst and range anxiety
Everywhere you go in Japan there are vending machines. Whether you're in a Buddhist monastery or a botanical garden you're never far from a cold bottle of Pocari Sweat or Gokuri Apple. Soon Japanese drivers will never be far from a place to charge their EV, either. Forking Company, which oversees 1.2 million vending machines across Japan, is going to start working with Panasonic to deploy chargers for electric vehicles along with those machines. It's a potentially perfect solution, since these stations already having power and, often, connectivity. Over the next 12 months the plan is to deploy 10,000 such chargers -- and probably just as many menacing looking posters of Tommy Lee Jones hawking his particular blend of coffee.
Android turns average man into El Vendor! (video)
You might not know Greg Bell by name but you've certainly been affected by his work. The man who directed Logitech's amusingly creepy Lonely TV viral ads has returned with a series of videos meant to promote Android. The premise is, of course, absurd: middle manager, trapped beneath a fallen vending machine, continues to work because his Android powered smartphone allows him to be productive even without the full use of his hands. In a bit of video magic, the handset with a 32-day battery is the Nexus S running Gingerbread... but only when shot from the front. Otherwise it's a Nexus One when shot from the back, presumably because this was filmed before the S' launch. Regardless, the result is a series of clever videos encapsulating an everyman's transformation into nerd superhero, El Vendor -- we dare you to not click all five.
PA Walmart stores getting CCTV-enabled, breathalyzin' wine vending machines
Whenever technology is used to solve a real problem, it warms our hearts. It really does. But when technological perambulations are needed to work their way around antiquated state liquor laws (the likes of which have tormented at least one poor Engadget editor since he reached the age of majority), it just seems sad. For instance, it's illegal to sell alcohol in grocery stores in Pennsylvania, but it's not illegal to install a vending machine that dispenses wine: as long as the user is asked to take a breathalyzer test, swipe their state issued ID or Driver License, and then show their mug to a state official sitting somewhere in Harrisburg, who is keeping an eye on the proceedings via CCTV. Simple, right? Maybe not, but it does protect the state's monopoly on liquor sales. The Pronto wine vending machine is currently only available in select grocery stores in the state, but it's just been announced that the PA Liquor Control Board has given Walmart preliminary approval to put the things in some of their locations outside of Pittsburgh. We'll try one out ourselves, as soon as they start carrying Blue Nun.
Flix on Stix kiosks coming soon: it's like Redbox, but with USB thumb drives
The concept's far from new -- Warner and Paramount signed up way back in the heyday known as "2009" to offer movies on SD cards, and select Blockbuster rental kiosks have been popping 'em out ever since. But Flix on Stix is an expected twist on the models that are already out there, and it's one that will no doubt face some difficulty in reaching the same level of acceptance as Redbox. Put simply (or as simply as possible), consumers waltz up to a kiosk, select a TV show, game or movie, and then they choose whether they'd like to purchase or rent the title. The outfit has yet to come clean with specific pricing, but the (presumably mocked up) video embedded after the break shows rental rates of $1, $2, $3 and $4 for 3, 6, 9 and 12 days. There's also no clear indication how TV episodes and games will be handled, but we're hearing that users can either bring their own USB stick (USB 3.0 is accepted!) or opt to procure one directly from the machine. Swipe your Visa or Mastercard (c'mon, no Discover or AMEX?), and then... wait. In fact, this is apt to be the biggest hurdle. What are the resolutions being offered? What if you select a 1080p film that's 7GB, and only have a 4GB USB drive? Or better yet, what if you've got a 8GB USB 2.0 drive and a doctor's appointment in ten minutes? Comically enough, the demonstration video actually shows the patron playing a game of poker while she waits for the transfer to complete -- something tells us that's not going to go over well with prospective customers waiting in line. We're guessing that most folks will peace right on out if the wait to purchase something from a box exceeds a few minutes, and given the very nature of this scheme, it sounds like that scenario is almost guaranteed to happen ad nauseum. At any rate, expect to see the first of these popping up in two to three months, and meanwhile we'll be digging for more details on pricing and distribution plans.
Live crab vending machine makes us think there could be better uses for vending machines (video)
Yes, it's true: an entrepreneur in Nanjing, China, has stocked a vending machine with Shanghai Hairy Crabs. The delicacy (if anything with "hairy" in its name could be a delicacy) is kept at 5° Celsius, where it hibernates until it is sold for ¥120-600 (between $1.40 and $7.30), which is apparently a thirty percent markdown from retail. Even the Japanese media seem to find this one peculiar -- and this is a country that sells liquor, pornography, and Maine lobsters in its vending machines. See it for yourself in the video after the break. Update: Our man on the scene in China (actually, he's in London, but whatever) noticed a few additional details in the video, including the fact that the prices in Chinese Yuan range from ¥10 to ¥50, and that the owner of the machine offers a pretty sweet guarantee: if your crab is dispensed in a "dead" condition, you get three as compensation. Sounds more than fair to us!
Giant touchscreen vending machine at CEATEC stares us down, offers us a frosty beverage
So we tracked down one of those crazy new touchscreen- and camera-enabled vending machines being deployed across Japan's mass transit stations at CEATEC today; one of their claims to fame is that they're WiMAX-enabled in order to receive ads and other high-bandwidth content, so local WiMAX provider UQ installed one of the units in its booth as a showcase of the kinds of wild and crazy things you can do with ludicrous speed. As much as we hate to admit it, we're pretty sure we'd be consuming more overpriced juice, soda, tea, coffee, and water if we had one of these near our homes -- seriously, how can you resist those cute rectangular eyes staring at you, slowly stealing your soul while asking you to "come by?" Of course, the scary part about that is that the machine really can see you -- it's got a camera right above the display that detects your presence, makes some snap judgments about you based on largely accurate stereotypes, and recommends certain beverages (though you're still free to choose whatever you like). The machine supports Suica payments -- a popular NFC system in these parts -- using either a Suica card or your appropriately-enabled phone, which makes blowing hundreds of yen on cans of Georgia Vintage coffee frighteningly simple. Follow the break for some video of the machine in action... or if you're planning a trip to Japan in the next couple years, expect to see these around town in some of the high-traffic train stations. %Gallery-104494%
Gold To Go ATMs dispense precious metals to the superwealthy, heading to the states this year
Goldline might be a bust (sorry, Glenn), but you're not gonna let that stop you from preparing for the imminent collapse of society. Or maybe you just want to hang with your friends at the Ayn Rand Book Club (The Fountainhead again?) and they prefer Krugerrands to the fiat currency of the USA. Any way you slice it, Americans (including our friend Scott) have "gold fever." Luckily, it turns out that the Gold To Go vending machines we saw early this year are on their way to the states. Stocked with up to ten different gold bars or coins, these bad boys accept cash or plastic and use a VPN to phone home to Germany for updates on the cost of precious metals every 10 minutes. They also feature an ID scanner / camera combo for preventing (or at least slowing down) potential money launderers. The devices can be found currently in the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, Bankshop in Reutlingen, Germany, The Westin Palace in Madrid, and the Orio al Serio International Airport, and they'll be hitting Las Vegas and Florida sometime this year. There might also be one next to the Coinstar machine at the Murray Ave. Giant Eagle (we'll check it out and let you know).
Drug vending machines start trial in UK, allow awkward videophone conversations with your pharmacist
You've got to imagine the Japanese are green with envy right now, as the BBC report not one, but two different drug vending machines are being tested out under Her Majesty's watchful eye. The first of these experiments is run by supermarket chain Sainsbury's, which has installed a pair of drug dispenser machines in its stores. They identify users by their fingerprint or a unique number, demand PIN verification too, and then finally accept your prescription. Then -- and this is the really silly part -- a pharmacist comes along, picks up your prescription, fills it out, and deposits it in the machine for you to pick up. So it's impersonal and unnecessarily convoluted, great. PharmaTrust seems to have a slightly better idea with its videophone-equipped, ATM-style robo-vendor: it's intended to allow pharmacists to approve prescriptions off-site and out of usual working hours by letting them speak to you via videophone. It could in fact be a big benefit in more remote areas, depending on how patients take to it -- we'll know more when the trial starts up in participating hospitals this winter.
