Near field communication is showing up on a growing number of phones, but it has yet to become really mainstream in the US. Thankfully, that’s all about to change, as marketing agency Razorfish has mocked up perhaps the most perfect use of NFC. The digital Gum Machine is built in the housing of a standard gumball machine, but instead of candy, it’s full of apps, movies, ebooks, and “exclusive and location-based content.” Instead of bumping a phone to pay, the user puts a coin in the slot and then holds the phone where the chute would be, letting the machine dispense a random piece of media. The box in the video below is a proof of concept meant to “provide a missing link between the physical and the digital,” but we’re sure you’ll be seeing these things all over the place soon. We’re just a little curious how much movie you can get for a quarter.
NFC ‘gumball machine’ sells digital content for quarters
An NFC ‘gumball machine’ built by design studio Razorfish accepts coins and then dispenses a random piece of media when a device is held against the “chute.”
An NFC ‘gumball machine’ built by design studio Razorfish accepts coins and then dispenses a random piece of media when a device is held against the “chute.”
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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