2019 | The Future of the Automat

With the development of touch interfaces and manufacturing costs being reduced due to the accessibility of technology, the return of the automat storefront and vending system is queued to make a return.

Before the fast food industry, there was the automat. The original automat food service company in the United States titled Horn and Hardart was able to deliver food to over 800,000 individuals daily. The word “automat” comes from the Greek automatos, meaning “self-acting”.

However, the first Horn and Hardart automat restaurants were far from automatic. A large number of employees were required to fill the automat compartments as each customer removed their desired item–inevitably turning the concept of automat restaurants into a smoke and mirror show. However, there were a large number of benefits that came from automat style dining such as the consumer being able to see the product they were purchasing before buying–enabling quality assurance.

With the development of touch interfaces and manufacturing costs being reduced due to the accessibility of technology, the return of the automat storefront and vending system is queued to make a return. In the midst of the technological revolution and access to interactive interfaces and multimedia displays, the automat can do far more than being an automated delivery service.

Now, the automat delivery interface can display responsive imagery that informs the consumer about the product, and how it came to be through supply chain data.

Companies such as Cooler Screens are already implementing digital interfaces in Walgreens flagship stores across the United States. The next step would be to create a digital interface that not only responds to the consumer and their market preferences but provides a social impact that aids in keeping the modern consumer informed on the product they are buying.

Due to the automats ability to be entirely automated through the point of sale and delivery process, the possibilities of site-specific installations are endless. These automat vending locations can be set up in any scenario, whether it be in private storefronts displaying limited edition design objects or products or in public site activations, enabling passersby to become actively engaged. By utilizing site-specific activations the automat can be a tool for engaging the public and providing a tailored product ranging from luxury objects to handmade designs crediting their creators.

By applying a new strategy and design to the automat breakthrough can be achieved which enables new types of innovative projects that are capable of activating new spaces. In order to embrace the future of urban living and urban economies, the potential of designs needs to be pushed in the making process as well as the way new technology is applied. As the future of manufacturing and consumption changes, there needs to be a response to the way objects are presented and delivered to the modern consumer. Futuristic design objects need to be delivered in a futuristic way.

One may formulate that the automat is further removing workers from the job market, however by minimizing the need to be on site to deliver products to their consumers there will be a new opening in the ability to train and specialized workers in new fields–emphasizing product development, supply chain ethics, and respond to consumer needs rapidly.