You're thirsty. You find the nearest drinks (vending) machine, put in the coins, hear a few noises coming from somewhere inside and abracadabra, there it is – your coke can waiting for you, ready to be picked out as you reach in the dog flap at the bottom.

Kao vlasnik Libris komunikacija i voditelj edukacijskih programa u Velikoj Britaniji i Hrvatskoj, Peter donosi dodatnu vrijednost u ZIMO kroz nove marketinške i komunikacijske ideje, alate, naputke i praktične savjete.

This could all become a thing of the past as a flashy new touchscreen machine called the aCure has recently been installed in Tokyo's crowded Shinagawa Station, attracting a lot of attention.

So what's all the fuss about? Apart form looking awesome, flashy and certainly a sexier way of selecting a drink, these 47-inch touch panel machines recommend a drink for you based on age, gender and even environmental factors such as the season, time of day and the current temperature.

The Japanese have always had a long standing love affair with vending machines (Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita in the world) selling anything from snacks, cigarettes, condoms to underwear and believe it or not, bananas!? They love two things; vending machines and touchscreen gadgets so it’s not surprising that the idea is set to take off and go mainstream in the near future.

Remember, the concept isn't a new one as the idea developed through collaboration between Samsung and Coca Cola was introduced to the world in 2009.  Their highly interactive 46-inch LCD ( 1m high – 46cm wide) placed onto the front of their new machine seemed to be a hit, however, this touchscreen piece of creativity has so far, failed to hit the market.

Coca Cola - Jan 2009

I thought I’d take the opportunity to show you a few other vending machines that caught my eye, starting with Drench. In a number of cities across the UK, Drench’s drinks machines go one step further and challenge passers-by to participate in different brain games to win free drinks. They did this to show that hydrated brains apparently function better. Very clever if you ask me. Play these games online:  Drench site.

Human vending machines have often been seen across Japan. Kit Kat decided to adopt the idea for themselves at London’s Victoria train station.