Soft drinks companies in Dubai are in a race against time to become the first to introduce robotic vending machines in the UAE.
Emirates Today spoke to two leading companies who are nearing the introduction of robotic vending the latest trend to hit the big time in Tokyo and New York.
A leading multinational soft drinks company has recently announced that 20 per cent of its one million vending machines in Japan will be robotised by 2008.
A leading soft drinks company in the UAE plans to introduce a network of these vending machines by the end of this year, said one of its senior officials.
The official, who did not want to be identified, said:
"We have been concerned about the growing abuse and vandalism of vending machines.We are working on a new project to introduce robotmanaged vending machines.
"The customer will just hand over the coins to the robot and the machine does the rest. After completing the transaction, the robot will place a bottle of juice or mineral water in the hands of the customer. The robot will accept coins and dispense products like beverages and sweets." However, a number of companies are competing to become the first to install the system. "We do not know who will introduce the system first," he added.
The robots will also alert staff when the supplies are running low.
"The robot will send feedback to the inventory department to refill the machines when the stock is exhausted," the official said.
Robot-operated machines will help in reducing the rate of faulty machines and will also make it easier to rectify any mechanical problem.
"We are also working on an SMS-based alarm system.
"If someone is shaking the machine too hard or is damaging it, an SMS will alert the supervisor who will rush to the scene," he added.
The "street corner" robot system takes advantage of the vending machines already located throughout Japan.
They provide a ready-made location complete with power and maintenance.
The companies hope to benefit from the improved security, and it may result in a decrease in the number of minors purchasing cigarettes and other age-restricted items from the machines.
By VM Sathish
© Emirates Today 2006
