Alternative game controllers give us a chance to reimagine the vending machine business

 Vending machine business  creates stable cashflow if  you have :

1. good location
2. high foot traffic
   

But all "rich" places are already occupied before you!

So you have no chance but to find the way how to convert  "poor location " without foot traffic  into a "rich one".

There are a lot of attempts to redesign standard vending machines by adding gaming hardware.

The freshist one is .

It looks cool but seems to be too expensive in comparison with the price of regular vending machine. 

COVID-safety regulations  adds problems with game control's sanitation.

Let us imagine " the Blue Ocean" for   Vending machine businessman:

1.  a cheap   outdoor location with poor foot traffic becomes a favorite  meeting point for local young people;
2. standard vending machines  have  attractive gaming features;
3. game  controls are  totally COVID-safe .

Imho such " Blue Ocean" is real .

 During a year I  have been testing   my  invention - "foot-operated   game controller". The 3rd version of prototype is at the photo below.

The idea of an  outdoor  gaming system  based on this controller  is  described in  my utility patent.

Let us take a number of standard vending machines and add my invention.

All you need from standard  vending machine is a signal that   the coin was dropped. Local gaming server with WiFi access point  activates the game  broadcasting  for 5-10 minutes. The idea is to use users mobile gadgets with  a special app  instead of  local displayes.  It is cheaper and more COVID-safe. The design of the holder for mobile gadget may be different.

 I have  tested game broadcasting through local WiFi and it works well for simple hypercasual games.

In general ,  the standard WiFi access point is able to broadcast for 32  addresses. So all player's friends can watch the game on their mobile devices. Even at  a social distance!

Investors are welcome !

#vending machine, #vendingmachinebusiness, #BlueOcean, #alternativecontroller, # vendertainment

Brooklyn Bridge + Niagara Falls = an unusual water feature for limited public space. My 20 years old project.

I like water features embedded in the urban landscape. One of my favorites is the water wall in NY.

The water wall needs small space but has a limited air cooling effect.

20 years ago I invented a shade with water-actuated fans. It looks as I lifted the water fountain and put it over my head.

With this evaporative air cooler, I modified the initial idea of a water wall. In the project below drain pipe feeds the water wall.

  This water feature may be used for open-air restaurants or just a "cooling island" during summer heatwaves. Two evaporative air coolers were made in the "Brooklyn Bridge" style. The water wall looks naturally like Niagara Falls.
Old SketchUp drawing looks pretty "vintage".

Taking in account COVID-safety this idea can be modifed as a S-shape structure.