1. Chinese Vending Machine Sells Live Hairy Crabs
Live hairy crabs are displayed in a vending machine at a main subway station in Nanjing, Jiangsu province Dec 17, 2010. The crab dispenser was designed by Shi Tuanjie, Chairman of the Nanjing Shuanghu Crab Industrial Company, who came out with the idea of a crab dispenser 3 years ago. This is the first live crab vending.
2. Bicycles, the Netherlands
In this pedal-happy nation, it’s actually surprising that we hadn’t seen bicycle vending machines before now. The new Bikedispenser machines—currently found at railway stations in Arnhem and Nijmegen and coming soon to Delft, Duiven, and a dozen more locations by 2011—rent out bicycles for up to 20 hours. Just bring them back to the same station.
3. Gold Bars: Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Bergamo, and Moscow airports
In case the dollar or euro fails during your flight home, you can always shore up your assets by picking up a few gold bars at a Gold to Go vending machine, debuting in the above airports in May 2010 after a successful 2009 test run at Frankfurt.
4. passive aggressive anger release machine
created by the artists yarisal and kublitz this unique vending machine dispenses a variety of plates and
cups. however these ceramic and glass piece aren’t for eating off because after you buy an item it drops to the bottom of the machine and shatters. the idea behind the machine is to allow people to relieve theirstress through the breaking of the items
5. smart car
while it may look like this vending machine is selling smart cars, it actually dispenses brochures about
the car. the machine was the idea of a smart car dealer in shibuya, japan. the machine gives customers the option of a coupe or cabrio smart car and states the car’s actual value, but it doesn’t accept money.
perhaps in the future these machines will actually sell cars, but for know it remains a marketing concept.
the car. the machine was the idea of a smart car dealer in shibuya, japan. the machine gives customers the option of a coupe or cabrio smart car and states the car’s actual value, but it doesn’t accept money.
perhaps in the future these machines will actually sell cars, but for know it remains a marketing concept.
6. Fresh Bread, Belgium
A nation of carbo-loaders: there are more than 7,000 fresh-bread vending machines scattered around Belgium, sitting near boulangeries that stock them with the same baguettes and sliced loaves you’ll find inside. Think the French look down on this? They can’t—they have these machines, too.
7. Shoes, England
One downside of a pedestrian-friendly city: being out and about in the wrong shoes. Asics has a roving vending machine—previously in London’s Carnaby Square but now in Liverpool—that sells its popular Onitsuka Tiger “trainers” (as the Brits call sneakers) for about $75 a pair. Seeing as it’s in a store with clerks nearby—who are, for the record, also selling shoes—this one seems more novelty than function. If it’s after 5 p.m., though, look for a Rollasole. Found mostly in nightclubs (such as Oceana), these machines offer comfy-but-flashy flats for ladies who have had it with dancing in stilettos. For just a few quid ($10 for Yanks), you can choose among small, medium, and large, in the colors Back to Black or Hi Ho Silver. The machines are headed to U.K. train stations and airports this summer, as well as nightclubs in New York, L.A., and Vegas.
8. Fresh Pizza, Italy
this vending machine is a pizzeria in a box. ‘the wonder pizza’ cooks 9 inch pizzas in a mere 2 minutes
each. users can select their desired crispness and pick from 3 different flavours. the machine isn’t as simple as you might think. it is reported to have taken over 5 years to develop at a cost of over 6 million USD .
each machine can hold around 100 pizza and uses real ovens not microwaves to cook the pizza.
