Vending machines goes BOS

BOS ice tea has called in the services of a vending robot to entertain and refresh delegates at the 2012 Design Indaba.

The BevMax 4-45, or “Bev”, as she is affectionately known by the BOS team, is an ice tea vending machine with a few quirks. The idea for the robot-esque machine was conceptualised by BOS’ digital agency Cow Africa, who worked closely with designers Marc Nicholson and Lyall Sprong from Thingking.

In keeping with their entertaining approach to brand activations, BOS wanted a sampling mechanic for Design Indaba that was more than just an ice tea dispenser. “It’s not just about handing out tea,” says Grant Rushmere the founder of BOS. “It’s about capturing people’s imagination and making them look at the world around them a little bit differently. It started with our product and it’s become the mantra for everything we do.”

The vending machine is rigged with a series of microphones, cameras, trigger switches and sound-activated LEDs to amplify the machine’s personality. Sound designer Brendon Bussy, who is known for creating instruments out of found objects, consulted on the project.

Once she is fed a token, Bev comes to life, buzzing and whizzing and capturing it all on camera. Best of all, she delivers an ice-cool BOS Ice Tea to thirsty delegates, absolutely free.

To see Bev go BOS, visit the Design Indaba. You can pester people wearing BOS T-shirts for a free token.

VISI will also be handing out free BOS ice tea at our Design Indaba stand, please pop in for a chat… and a refreshing ice tea tea of course.

More information: www.bosicetea.com