As day-to-day living becomes more and more technologically sound, businesses all around the world are racing to keep up with the demands of the consumer. More and more people want a product that dazzles them, something they’ve never seen before, something that they could only have dreamt about.
Those dreams may be closer to a reality than we thought. Qualcomm unveiled a technologically advanced coffee service concept at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The concept featured an ordinary coffee maker made extraordinary with Qualcomm’s Atheros 4100 chip, making it a digital machine accessible wirelessly via a tablet or mobile device that can deliver personalized coffee drinks.
Qualcomm featured two parts. The first used Vuforia -- an augmented reality mobile application that allows a mobile device to connect with the wireless (WIFI) chip. Once connected, the user can adjust strength, size and brewing length of the coffee. The second part was an alert system, informing the consumer when the coffee was ready.
This is perfect for at-home or office coffee uses. It allows people to brew coffee from their desk and be alerted when it’s finished for freshly brewed coffee at the click of a button. This not only feeds into consumer’s demand for premium, fresh-brewed Joe, but also plays into their desperation for technological advancement.
Future of OCS and Vending
Although it was a just a prototype, I believe this is a trend for the future. Undeniably, people are becoming more technologically dependent. With the majority of consumers using smart phones, everybody is looking for new and innovative ways to utilize their technology. This not only opens the door to the future of OCS, but could make a splash in other markets as well, including vending.
A freshly brewed cup of coffee ordered from a customers' desk is great, but imagine a warm lunch made to order at the click of their mobile or Web app. I’m not an expert in wireless technology, but how fulfilling would it be to press a button and have a virtual chef making their lunch while they continue working. This would not only be more efficient for consumers, but would save company time as well.
Perhaps it is wishful thinking to hope for Jetson’s-like technology of the future in the present day work place. However, Qualcomm has shown a light into the technology of the present, and the effect in can have in everyday use. I wouldn’t expect to start installing WIFI equipped coffee makers quite yet, but maybe, the future isn’t as far away as we thought.
