While I was at CES last January, I remember seeing a very unique vending machine near the bathrooms. It was a Coke machine with a small touchscreen, and it had quite a line to it. In retrospect, I wished I had waited in line to see it up close. I didn’t stop there for two reasons: I doubted whether the soda was free and I would have spent way too much time analyzing the thing for an article.

I don’t remember the company who made the vending machine, but if I had to take a guess, I would have to say Samsung. The company has recently partnered with Kraft foods to create a new kind of vending machine with a 46-inch LCD touchscreen panel.

So there is no more entering the letter and number for selecting your snack. You just touch the snack that you want on the screen. The best part of a touchscreen display is that if you want to see the nutritional information, you just touch the proper place and there it is.

This is a boost by Samsung to increase the LCD touchscreen vending machine business. I like the way these people are thinking. I do have one quick question: do they still use those coils to hold the snack foods? You know, those types that occasionally leave a long awaiting piece of candy hanging. How would you know if that occurred if the touchscreen was there? Maybe you could rock it back and forth and hope something comes out.

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