Your mind is breaking. It’s been a long, hard, and hot day. Your skin is boiling and your tongue feels like it’s about to crack. You need a soda. Right now. You drag yourself to the vending machine, punch a coin into the slot, and watch a trio of small gnome-like creatures retrieve your soda and pour you a glass.
No, don’t worry, the dehydration hasn’t gotten to you. You’ve just found one of LG Electronics’s new transparent screens.
LG unveiled several “digital signage” products at last month’s Integrated Systems Europe 2013 tradeshow in Amsterdam, and the model 47TS50MF transparent display was one of the best. In the demonstration, LG’s transparent display was used as a glass door for a vending machine. The display showed the customers product images and promotional videos about the vending machine’s contents, prompting prices on each drink and offering virtual buttons for selection.
The real fun starts when the customer selects a product. When you press the button, it dissolves away, and a handful of animated characters appear to grab the bottle you chose and ride an elevator to the bottom of the vending machine, where your real-world drink appears. Finally, a thank-you message appears on the window as you grab your drink.
If you’re curious, there’s a YouTube video below.