Coming Soon: Vending Machines That Can Deny You Snacks
A new vending machine could theoretically deny you this stuff. (Photo by Getty Images)
By Matt Cantor
In the mood for potato chips? In the future, you may need a snack machine’s approval.
The Luce X2 Touch TV vending machine has facial-recognition technology, meaning it can, apparently, identify customers and remember their snacking profiles.
That means, for instance, that it could offer you your favorite chips — or perhaps deny you an unhealthy snack based on your age or medical records, the Telegraph reports. A gym could, for instance, set up the machine to refuse fatty foods to people on diets, while a school could ensure that kids don’t get cigarettes, the paper notes.
Similar technology has been debuted by other companies; a version produced by software firm SAP can even link to your social media accounts so you can give gifts to friends, Tom’s Guide reports.
But Jezebel fears a “potential nightmare”: For instance, “what if you’re 30 and the machine thinks you’re 40” and denies foods accordingly?
Well, this isn’t a big-brother situation, says a rep for Luce X2 supplier Smart Vend Solutions.
"It’s not as if it’s going to spy on you," he says, noting that users don’t have to opt in to the data tracking system. The device was recently unveiled in the UK; whether it has a future in the US isn’t yet certain, the Los Angeles Times reports. (Meanwhile, a comedy club in Barcelona has been using facial recognition technology to charge visitors for each laugh.)
More From Newser.com:
The Weird Ways 15 Celebs Stay Skinny
Why Drinking From a Can Could Be Dangerous
Your Earwax Says a Lot About You
In a French Kiss, You Swap More Than Spit
This article originally appeared on Newser: New Vending Machine Can Deny You Snacks
