The Future of Machines

I was perusing a "W" magazine today and ran across this article regarding a new vending machine design. It caught my attention for a couple of reasons. First it looked similar to a design I saw when I was visiting Japan and secondly it housed personal care items. As someone who travels a great deal, I love the idea of being able to pick up that forgotten antiperspirant or facial cleanser.

In Japan, the vending machines were everywhere and for all sorts of items. There were even vending machines for cigarettes. They just sat out along side the road all alone and seemingly without a purpose. When asked what they do to prevent children from smoking, we were told, "They know better."

There were vending machines for drinks. They did not have individual machines by brand, but rather one machine would house everything from hot drinks and cold drinks, in a variety of sizes, and in a multitude of flavors. You could select a 20 oz Diet Coke followed by a hot can (yes, can) of coffee. All of the cans were aluminum including those that were shaped like our old 20 oz bottles. It was very odd; enough so that we brought some home as souvenirs.

They also had vending machines for ice cream. There is nothing like seeing an ice cream cone drop out of a vending machine. It would send out a fully developed cone, full of ice cream and packaged so that the ice cream top was covered in a clear plastic lid. It was so cold you couldn't bite it right away. I wondered then why we didn't have such machines. The ice cream tasted a bit different, but the convenience was undeniable.

In Japan, machines are everywhere. One "mall" had the largest arcade type area I have ever laid eyes on. There were machines that took your photo, grabbed toys with a claw, played music, promised toys and prizes, and much more. The strangest part was the fact that no children were there. The arcade was primarily for adults. It also housed an enormous amount of Hello Kitty items. My granddaughters have tons of stuffed animals from these vending machines. It seems my son-in-law had quite a fascination with them.

Overall my favorite machine has to be the reflexology machine. This machine would give your feet a workout. What a perfect ending to a long shopping day! You would drop in a few Yen and select what you most wanted to cure. Have a headache? No problem. Stressed out today? Select this blue button. Back causing you discomfort? Push here. All of that on top of a great foot rub. Ahhh!

Mr. Greenberg, hurry up and design more of these fancy-schmanzy machines so I can get some ice cream before I run off to my foot massage!