Interactive touch screen vending machines

Image via Wikipedia

Its been a little too long since the last post (sorry!), but there's been a lot of activity behind the scenes building our first batch of machines, and plenty of work to keep us all busy. More on that soon, but this article today on Springwise reminded me that the developments in the vending world are still largely limited to gimmicky changes to the look and feel of the machines.
Interactive, touch screens have been built in to provide a "whole new level of consumer interaction to automatic vending" - and there was I thinking I only wanted to buy a can of coke, be able to use a note or my debit card to pay, and at the very least least not have my change snaffled!
The article mentions that time has been spent building in cameras and equipment to track vandalism, rather than to attempt to make the buyer's experience more beneficial! (unsatisfactory vends are often the cause of frustration, leading to malicious damage).