Vending machine uses facial recognition to deny you snacks

Now it’s no longer your mom reminding you not to eat that Twinkie.

A new vending machine uses facial recognition technology to deny would-be snackers from buying certain foods that don’t fit their personal profile.

The Luce X2 Touch TV vending machine can be programmed to identify users and remember their snack preferences--even accessing their age, medical records and vending purchase histories, writes the Telegraph.

If the user’s snack choice doesn’t fit their profile, the Luce X2 won’t dispense the item.

Smart Vend Solutions, a creator of the Luce X2, just unveiled the machine in U.K., and says it can be programmed to keep children from buying cigarettes, hospital patients away from salty or sugary foods and keep dieters on track.

Malcolm Standage, from Smart Vend Solutions, told the Telegraph that this could redefine the automatic retailing industry.

“Launching the very first full production facial recognition technology represents an advancement which will bring unlimited benefits to businesses and consumers across the U.K,” he said.

This isn’t the first time facial recognition has been used in vending machines.  This summer, Coca-Cola tested the use of a similar machine in Australia that collected sales and interacted with users by way of a digital LED screen and integrated camera. And software giant SAP also has their own version of a smart vending machine that dispense anything from food, to drinks, to electronics.

But the proliferation of smart vending machine raises some possible short comings, such as the ability of people just getting someone to buy junk food for them -- or the obvious privacy issues as it records your every purchase.

Jezebel notes that the machines can be a “nightmare” because—after all – is anyone proud of their vending machine selections?