PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD
PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD We recently wrote about new data mining technology that can accurately estimate the age of a person in a photograph. Now, Kraft, with the help of Intel, has built a similar tool into a vending machine to help market products by age group.
Called iSample, Kraft’s vending machine dispenses free samples of trial products to their target audiences. A new pudding product, for instance, is targeted to adults. The machine determines the age of a customer, who then uses a smartphone with a custom code to get the sample. If someone outside the target audience—such as a young child—tries to get a sample, he or she will be denied.
The vending machine dispenses pudding samples only to adults. (Source: Intel)
The machine determines a person’s age using qualities like the distance between eyes, ears and nose. It does not save a photograph or any other data about the customer, and it can estimate age in a fraction of a second. Like other age-estimators, the tool employs machine learning to guess age based on previously viewed faces.
Earlier versions of the tool would suggest entire meals based on a consumer’s gender, size and age. Such suggestions, however, seemed overly invasive. iSample is currently in use at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The machine uses humor when denying children samples.
“We only have two iSample machines in the U.S. so far, as this is a test and [we'll] learn from experience,” Ed Kaczmarek, director of innovations and consumer experiences at Kraft, told the BBC. “Our ultimate goal is to bring value to both our retailers and our brands by better understanding consumer engagement with our products.”
Technologies like iSample are just the beginning of consumer-analysis tools. Future machines could determine not only qualities like age and gender, but also more complex features like wealth—which could be guessed using aspects like clothing brand and jewelry. They could even record customers’ responses to products by tracking facial expressions. Such tools could be employed in nearly all forms of marketing, such as television, billboards and online advertising.
Visit the machine in Chicago, or click here to watch a video of the technology at PhysOrg.
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