We might be living in the biggest economic downswing since the Great Depression, but you wouldn’t know it from all of the activity taking place at self-service equipment manufacturers. The COVID-19 outbreak has unleashed a demand for safety products to allow people to protect themselves from the highly contagious disease, and self-service has a big role to play in making these products available.

As businesses slowly reopen, they are requiring employees and customers to wear safety masks and wash their hands repeatedly, in addition to following social distancing rules. Many also require visitors to have their temperatures taken before entering the premises.

There is no question self-service equipment will play a big role in what many now refer to as the “new normal.”

Self-service equipment manufacturers have introduced machines that dispense packaged safety equipment and liquid sanitizers. Some have introduced touchless transaction technologies, while others are offering devices with sensors that can take temperatures and flag visitors that need additional screening.

Part one in this two-part series on COVID-19 prevention technology explores machines designed to dispense safety products and allows locations to sanitize self-service equipment. Part two will focus on equipment with temperature sensors.

Companies are listed in alphabetical order. All images are courtesy of the manufacturers.

Agora Brands 

COVID-19 has focused attention on the fact that use of traditional touch-operated devices come with potential health risks. Studies have shown that COVID-19 can live for several days on hard surfaces. 

Avatars from Agora Brands Group placed in self-service kiosks can establish a close connection with clients by providing a 24/7 accessible, fully trained customer service representative. They can also provide a higher level of safety by eliminating the need for the customer to touch the kiosk.

Having access to the customer’s full purchase or service history, the avatars are able to help provide better customer support. And they function in 25 different languages, thus customizing the customer service experience with customers from around the world.

Benefits to the location include:

• Increased end client repeat traffic and loyalty.
• Rapid scalability and cost-effective service delivery.
• Growth in both top-line and bottom-line results.
• Ability to supplement the workforce economically.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Azkoyen Group

The mechanical push-button or touchscreen panels on vending machines which can spread bacteria and viruses can now be replaced by new technologies that work remotely, such as the Air Touch technology in Azkoyen Group machines. The user can select the product they want from a distance of up to two centimeters from the surface of the selection panel.

In addition to contactless payments, Azkoyen machines also have the Pay4vend electronic payment technology which allows remote payment using mobile devices and the Joyco app, allowing contactless payment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betson/AMS Vendors/Vagabond

The AMS Touchless Medical machine, a joint effort of Betson Enterprises, AMS Vendors and Vagabond, provides medical facilities, manufacturing plants and other workplaces with a safe way to access personal protection equipment at work.

The machine showcases what the company calls a “clean” design without peripheral components such as bill validators, coin mechanisms or credit card readers, resulting in a touchless experience that requires no physical interaction with the machine, save for retrieving the medical and PPE equipment.

Instant telemetry, live VMS and cashless capabilities are built in to ensure long restock cycles, few service calls and reduced human interactions with the machine while providing operators the ability to stock high-priced medical equipment, manage pricing remotely, and communicate with consumers directly. The machine can also have custom graphics applied to suit account branding needs.

The machine relies on Vagabond’s embedded vīv commerce platform for all purchases. By eliminating the need for additional components, the machine features space for a sixth selection coil, increasing the retail space of the machine by 20% without increasing footprint. Service calls are reduced by up to 90% because there are no peripheral components on the machine to break, which also eliminates touchpoints and human exposure to germs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cambro Manufacturing

Cambro Manufacturing’s hand washing stations prevent the spread of COVID-19 for employees at drive-thru and mall/in-line curbside locations. 

Cambro’s “camtainer” makes water available for handwashing while the accompanying dispenser lever allows the user to decrease water waste. The compact handwash accessory stores liquid soap and paper towels. 

One customer, Chick-fil-A, is advising their employees to wash their hands a minimum of every 30 minutes and every time they interact with cash. Each restaurant is equipped with at least one outdoor handwash station; locations with multiple drive-thru lanes and points of contact are encouraged to provide more units.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chowbotics 

Chowbotics, a manufacturer of a robotic salad machine, provides safer access to fresh food as hospitals nationwide have shut down their salad bars amidst hygienic concerns and new food safety criteria.

The “Sally” machine’s airtight container keeps all ingredients protected from touch or exposure to the environment, greatly reducing the risk of contamination. 

In addition to providing a more hygienic experience, Sally gives users the ability to customize meals from up to 22 fresh ingredients with interactive nutrition information. This combination of safety and personalized nutrition helps hospitals in need of new custom foodservice solutions post COVID-19. Users can also select from pre-programmed meals at the tap of the button with recipes developed by Chowbotics’ culinary team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connected Technology Solutions 

Connected Technology Solutions has been addressing kiosk sanitation since it began focusing on the needs of health care clients in 2005. In the process of becoming a health care kiosk specialist, the company has developed a sanitation solution that uses UV-C technology, a germicidal light that deactivates the DNA of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, destroying their ability to multiply and cause disease without the use of chemicals. 

The solution disinfects the screen and the peripherals in 30 seconds or less following every patient’s use of the kiosk. When the patient steps away from the kiosk, it automatically disinfects itself.

Sensors on the kiosk detect when it is in use and when the person has walked away, prompting it to begin a 30-second disinfection cycle. If a person wants to use the kiosk during the cycle, it senses the human presence and suspends the disinfection process, resuming the process when the person walks away.

The technology has not yet been tested on COVID-19 since testing facilities do not have COVID-19 samples to test, said Sandy Nix, company however, it has been disinfecting SARS and MERS, which are other types of coronaviruses.

The UV-C embedding process is an optional upgrade for customers. The kits include ballasts for light bulbs and/or LED lights depending on the particular kiosk, in addition to the software that runs the system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digital Media Vending International Llc.

Digital Media Vending International Llc. has introduced its hand sanitizer vending machine that makes it easy for employees and visitors to keep their hands clean to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The machine features a 7-inch touchscreen, three adjustable product trays and a bill acceptor that can accept $1, $5 and $10 bills.

The machine has a powder coat paint finish and comes equipped with a security camera. The machine can also be fitted with a QR/RFID scanner if a customer wants to dispense for free using employee ID badges. 

The machine vends 3-pack protective face masks, 2-ounce hand sanitizer gel, 10-pack single-use anti-bacterial wipes, gloves and face masks. 

A larger version can be configured in two ways. It can sell combination packs that contain several products, for example, a mask, hand sanitizer gel and gloves. Or it can be configured to sell individual products. If selling combination packs, the capacity of this machine would be around 250 packs.  

Other features, including a large touchscreen and ability to display video advertising, can all be managed remotely on our cloud software.

The machine can also be entirely touchless. A customer can use the touchscreen if they wish, or they can control the vending machine from their cell phone.  

The company has partnered with Eco Gloves, a glove maker, to dispense biodegradable gloves that come packaged in two-glove sets in its wall-mounted machines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Mayer and Associates 

Frank Mayer and Associates offers a wipe holder on its kiosks to hold disinfecting wipes that locations can use to disinfect the hard surfaces, such as powder coated metal, as well as the touchscreen. The holder is made of metal and holds most standard wipe dispensers. The holders can be removed and reattached.
The company posts cleaning guidelines for COVID-19 by its touchscreen OEM: Elo. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Howard Technology Solutions 

Howard Technology Solutions, a self-service kiosk solutions provider, has introduced what it describes as a total antimicrobial “baked-in” kiosk solution.

HTS utilizes patented antimicrobial coating technology in its own branded touch displays that are permanently sintered into the glass during manufacturing to create touchscreens with germ-free protection for life. 

The antimicrobial additives are directly baked into the glass display at the time of curing. 

The metal kiosk enclosures, using powder-paint additives, are designed to kill or prevent growth of microorganisms over 24 hours of contact. The antimicrobial additives have been proven effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA, E.coli, and VRE, and work to inhibit the growth of mold and mildew.

 

 

 

 

 

InOne Technology/Vagabond

The InOne bundle solution combines InOne Technology’s OneBoard vending machine upgrade kits with Vagabond’s vīv cashless technology to deliver a streamlined way to convert older machines into machines that offer a touchless cashless option that requires no physical interaction with the machine, save for retrieving the vending product.

The InOne Touchless bundle enables vending operators to upgrade machines, deliver an improved service, and at the same time provide a solution for their accounts desiring a touchless experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kastus

A patented surface-coating technology developed by Kastus is shown to be effective against human coronavirus on treated surfaces, an independent Global testing laboratory has confirmed, according to a press release.

Kastus has previously been proven to block up to 99.99% of surface bacteria and fungi including antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as MRSA and E. coli. Now new independent testing conducted by a global test laboratory has confirmed that the Kastus technology is effective against human coronavirus on coated surfaces.

The Kastus coating is applied and baked in to the top layer of the glass or ceramics surface during the manufacturing process. Once it’s locked in, the Kastus coating protects the underlying touchscreen device, glass or ceramic surface, while its antimicrobial power is always on through the lifetime of the product.

While the coating is primarily designed for use on new products, companies can retrospectively add screen protectors with the coating applied to help provide enhanced protection, meaning it could soon be widely available across products such as touchscreen kiosks in restaurants, shopping centers and airports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lilitab

Lilitab now offers a Sani-Holder mount for a hand sanitizer pump of sanitizer cloth dispenser at no charge to the customer. The Sani-Holder mount can be attached to any Lilitab kiosks with no tools required, and can be done in less than five minutes. Alternatively, it can be mounted to the wall with two screws. It will accept any size or type of sanitizer product, including wipe dispensers and sanitizer pumps.

For cleaning its own kiosks, Lilitab suggests using hospital-grade cleaning wipes such as Sani-Cloth (purple top); however, other cleaning/disinfecting wipes are acceptable as long as they do not contain more than a 10% bleach solution. Most cleaning wipes and hand sanitizers rely on alcohol, which is safe for use on many kiosks and all tablets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NoviSign

NoviSign Ltd. has introduced a sanitation kiosk that can dispense gel, foam or liquid sanitizer. The kiosk, which can be freestanding or wall-mounted, has a 21.5-inch display screen that runs on NoviSign’s cloud-based digital signage software.

The kiosk has an internal automatic dispenser system, a built-in drip tray, a sanitizer refill compartment and a built-in Android media player. The digital screen can be a touchscreen or non-touchscreen. The unit supports Wi-Fi, hard wire or a 3G or 4G connection to the Internet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Partteam & OEMKiosks 

The hand dispenser kiosks from Partteam & OEMKiosks, a custom kiosk manufacturer, uses a motion sensor that recognizes the movement of the hand inside the dispenser, releasing sanitizer gel without the need for physical contact with the dispenser.

Customers and/or employees place their hands on the dispenser, activating the release of a dose of disinfectant liquid. The dispenser, which has a 5-liter capacity, can include a display with digital signage software. 

The company also offers the option of body temperature sensor, facial recognition, mask recognition and access control.

The dispenser is part of the company’s new Hand line, which is part of a new division, Hambire – Health + Ambient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philips Professional Display Solutions

Philips Professional Display Solutions’ queue management and people counting signage solutions allow retailers to monitor and manage footfall and keep customers and staff. The solutions address government recommended social distancing.

Designed to fit settings with one or several points of entry, the solutions provide visibility on the number of people entering and exiting a building, as well as introducing queue management systems, informing and engaging customers at the same time.

Philips displays can be programmed to provide customers and staff with clear information around capacity, alerting them whether it’s safe or not safe to enter. In addition, information can be broadcast via audio and even a traffic light system (red, amber and green), ensuring complete inclusivity. 

Information is automatically calculated using smart people counting cameras positioned at entrances, as well as the option to supplement these around other parts of the building. This can be used to feed information on expected wait times, as well as engaging, promotional messaging, onto additional displays positioned in shop windows along any queue systems.

The solutions can be integrated into a venue’s automatic doors, opening and closing based on capacity — potentially freeing up staff from managing lines. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qwik Media 

Qwik Media kiosks with hand sanitizer dispensers and LCD displays are available with touchscreen or a non-touch digital only version that can showcase products, services and promotions. The kiosks, available in 22- and 32-inch screen sizes, are equipped with 12-liter hand sanitizer capacity. The 12-volt sanitizer sensor is activated without touch.

The kiosk’s CMS software manages content remotely or by USB.

Qwik Media’s sister company, Waterfillz, manufactures water refill stations Qwik Media has reconfigured to offer large capacity hand sanitizer stations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhineland Inc. 

Rhineland Inc. has introduced freestanding hand sanitation kiosk which allows a user to place his hands into the crevice to trigger the dispensing of a dose of sanitizer gel. Once the sanitizer tank is empty, the operator opens the back panel and replaces it with a new one.

The kiosk comes with an LCD screen, uses Android operating system and is compatible with most video formatting and decoding capabilities.

The kiosk is available wall mounted and with different screen sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shekel 

Shekel, a provider of AI-powered advanced weighing solutions, has introduced Fast Track, a touchless machine-learning, cloudless self-checkout solution for supermarkets. Shekel’s Fast Track eliminates the need for consumers to enter product codes via touchscreens by automatically recognizing produce, bakery and specialty items.

Fast Track’s machine learning allows existing retailer POS hardware to teach itself how to recognize new products resulting in fast deployment.

Powered by the serverless and cloudless framework of the virtual recognition module platform, Shekel Fast Track offers the following benefits to grocery and supermarket retailers:

• Easy implementation, requiring only a simple USB camera; framework is downloaded through an API.
• No infrastructure costs — retailers use their own devices to train their AI models.
• No data collection — The VRM uses data generated at the store level.
• Adaptive continuous weighing using AI for visual recognition of fresh produce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seaga Manufacturing 

Seaga Manufacturing Inc.’s IIC SightGuard employs an IoT sensibility that allows it to log, track, sum, report, and communicate inventory usage data within a satellite of machines placed strategically throughout the work environment processed over a secure network. The IIC SightGuard’s software tractability also allows it to integrate with proprietary systems making it one of the most flexible software packages on the market.

The machine controls cost for personal protective equipment as well as industrial, office and medical supply products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senda Electronics 

Senda Electronics Group Company Ltd.’s face mask kiosk allows customers to pay by scanning a QR code or using a mobile phone. Additional payment interfaces are needed for kiosks in other countries. The kiosk has a display screen which the company can customize to include a touchscreen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TouchSource

TouchSource contactless solutions include a mobile-enabled interactive directory designed to address concerns about social distancing caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Visitors can view and scan information from digital displays to mobile phones. The visual, digital information keeps pace with rapid messaging changes in any location at a safe distance, and also lets visitors scan that information to their personal mobile device. 

The contactless suite of solutions include: contactless visitor management; shift management solutions for production facilities; social distancing workspace schedule boards; live video remote monitoring of lobbies and spaces; camera-based density analytics for social distance monitoring; contactless messaging boards and contactless retail solutions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U-Select-It Inc.

U-Select-It Inc.’s Sani-Center PPE Merchandiser provides personal protective equipment safely and easily to consumers.   

The merchandiser allows consumers to pay for products with credit cards, debit cards or a mobile wallet such as Apple Pay and Google Pay that utilize near-field communication. With NFC, consumers simply tap their phone to a compatible device and the transaction is complete. The merchandiser is also equipped with PayRange, a mobile payment platform. Utilizing Bluetooth via a mobile phone, PayRange offers consumers yet another contactless payment option. 

Available in two sizes, the Sani-Center PPE Merchandiser features up to 25 selections while the larger version features up to 36 selections.

Both models feature configurable flex trays, allowing products of various shapes and sizes to be purchased including small disinfectant spray bottles, travel sized hand sanitizers, medical face masks, sanitizing wipes latex gloves, Kleenex, band aids and other PPE supplies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vending on Track 

Vending on Track Pty Ltd.’s True Contactless Vending solution allows operators to deploy contactless vending on existing machines without any modification and enables consumers to choose products or make selections using personal mobile devices. During the process, there is no contact between customer and vending machine, and it eliminates customer’ health risks.