japan vending machine recommends drinks to buyers
TOKYO (Reuters Life! )-
A can of coffee for you, sir.
It may be a good cold tea for the lady.
A new Japanese canned beverage vending machine uses facial recognition technology to \"recommend\" drinks according to the age and gender of the customer
As a result, sales have tripled from regular vending machines.
These machines were developed by JR East Water Business Co, a subsidiary of railway company JR East Co, using large touch
A panel screen with sensors that allows the machine to determine the features of upcoming customers.
Then, the \"recommended\" label appears on a specific beverage product.
Depending on the temperature and time of the day, the recommended product may also change.
\"The machine may recommend canned coffee drinks if the customer is male, as men prefer these.
However, if the customer is in his 50 s, the suggestion is likely to be green tea, \"a company spokesman said.
A woman in her 20 s will be recommended for a tea drink or a slightly sweet product as market research shows they prefer these.
\"We think it will be more interesting for customers to have this interaction with our machines, which will improve the entire purchase experience,\" she added . \".
So far, the company has tested a machine at a train station in Tokyo, but plans to add five more machines at Tokyo Central Station on Tuesday, by early 2011, the network will expand to other major stations in Tokyo and nearby suburbs.
By March 2012, about 500 of the machines will be available in and around Tokyo.