Hot + Cool Vending Machine Serves Up Piping Hot Lean Pockets

Being stuck away from home at mealtime where the only food option is a vending machine usually means having something like chips and a soda for dinner. But the Eatwave could make it easier to obtain a more substantial (if not much healthier) meal from a vending machine. It’s the world’s only vending machine that allows hot and cold items to come from the same machine, with the hot items being warmed up before making their way into your waiting hands.

The Eatwave has a capacity of 1020 individual items, with six customizable interior trays. The entire machine is refrigerated so everything stays fresh and cool. When a customer purchases a warm item, an internal microwave mechanism heats up the food in one minute or less – without heating up the cold items around it. The machine would eliminate the need for a separate microwave oven in the office breakroom, which would be a welcome change for the people who have to clean the microwave.

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See more in Industrial Design or under Technology. November, 2012.