1800 28 26 22 For the past one and a half month, the world is passing through one of the major medical emergencies of all time. The novel coronavirus or COVID 19 which started showing signs in the early December 2019 in the Chinese province of Hubei has now turned into a global pandemic sweeping across 200 countries across the world.
Since this virus is highly contagious and spreads like a wildfire through human-to-human and human-to-fomite transmission, the importance of social distancing, self isolation and contactless transactions have increased more than ever.
Innovative Vending Machines Coming to the Rescue
There is no antidote for this virus, therefore the best way to prevent its spread and contain the disease is encouraging negligible human-to-human or human-to-fomite (object) contact. As they say desperate time calls for desperate actions; in the midst of this pandemic many innovative entrepreneurs have come up with unique solutions that ensure touch-free vending solutions.
Micro-Markets or Unattended Retail Kiosks
In many of our previous blogs, we have extensively talked about the importance of micro-markets and unmanned retail kiosks. In this time of crisis, with most buyers hunkering down to keep themselves safe from COVID 19, the unattended retail kiosks have become increasingly popular. Since, there’s no human-to-human transaction, these kiosks or marketplace offer a safer alternative than your regular supermarkets. Additionally, with an integrated contactless and cashless payment mode, the possibility of touching the machine is next to zero. Placing an unmanned kiosk or vending machine within hospitals can offer the doctors, nurses and paramedics who are working day and night an easy and secure access to fresh food or beverages. Moreover, these micro markets can be equipped with other essential items like hand wash, respiratory and surgical masks, gloves, hand wipes and sanitisers. Any frontline COVID warrior – be it doctor, nurse or a paramedic – can get these necessary items quickly and without any hassles.
Touch-Free Vending Machines Are the Need of the Hour
Health experts across the world are stressing upon only one fact i.e maintaining personal hygiene – WHO recommends washing hands with soap and water; however, in the absence of these it is important that one sanitises their hand using alcohol based hand rub or sanitiser. In a bid to make hand sanitisers more accessible in a safe way (no touching), an Indian startup Vendekin launched a touch-free hand sanitiser vending machine. These machines are ideal for places with massive foot traffic like rail stations, bus stations, airports, tourist hotspots and more. Since, there’s no touching involved, it offers a safer alternative for people to get a bottle of hand sanitiser without coming in contact with the fomites.
Working on similar lines, a Chinese company recently placed a mask vending machine in Xuzhou province that allows the user to swipe their IDs and collect 2 masks per person. This step ensured that there’s no panic buying and everyone gets a mask without any difficulties.
Besides sanitisers, such touch-free vending machines can be stocked up with numerous other essential medical items like wipes, gloves, masks, hand wash and more. The user can tap their credit cards and get a specific quantity of products. This arrangement also ensures there’s no goods hoarding and panic buying which have left supermarket shelves empty.
How Ausbox Group Can Help You in This Times of Crisis?
Ausbox Group is a reputed vending machine supplier always keen on embracing the latest and modern technologies to make the vending solutions more advanced, relevant and intelligent. Working on the similar lines and looking at the current situation, we have develop technique to build contactless hand sanitiser vending machine that uses the new -age cutting edge technologies like smartphones, staff RFID card, OR code or email link to dispense single piece of hand sanitiser per person every day. An Australian based company, we understand the intricate details of the native business landscape and help in customising the contactless dispensing machines.
