No. 129: Touch panel as big as 47-inch on the vending machine (August 11, 2010)

A subsidiary of East Japan Railway Company installed a new-type vending machine that responds to the days of digital signage. A 47-inch touch panel put on the vending machine airs promotional pictures suitable for the season and time zone. Equipped with the high-performance wireless communication function named WiMAX, the vending machine receives and displays videos to stimulate consumer appetite, such as “Ice-cold drink for a hot day” and “Coffee for a refreshing morning.” A consumer gets the screen showing all available products when he stands before the vending machine, and he can buy a product by touching the picture of the product he prefers. He can settle the payment in cash or by e-money. The company plans to air advertising pictures in the near future. It developed this machine in alliance with Omron Corp. and a subsidiary of Fuji Electric. The company plans to install 500 vending machines of this kind inside stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area in two years.