Share Happy

While instantly gratifying, buying ice cream from a vending machine isn’t as fun as it could be, says trendspotter Springwise.

Which is why SapientNitro and Unilever created the world’s first smile-activated ice cream vending machine.

The underlying technology is sophisticated, but the concept is simple: consumers walk up to the machine, smile and are rewarded with a frozen treat.

When its motion detectors sense someone is near, the machine beckons them to come closer and interact.

Using facial recognition technology, it can then recognize a person’s age, gender and emotion, and measure their smile using a “smile-o-meter”. If their grin is wide enough, they get free ice cream. Users can also opt to have a picture of their happy self uploaded to Facebook, which ties in perfectly with Unilever’s brand message: “share happy”.

Currently being showcased at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, the smile-activated ice cream vending machine will be rolled out at high-traffic locations across the globe over the next 18 months.

Editor’s Note: You could buy several of these machines and rent them out to birthday parties, weddings, corporate gatherings, etc. A nice share happy biz.

Photo by SapientNitro.

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