If you needed more proof that touchscreens are becoming ubiquitous, look at these new vending machines Coca Cola is planning to set up in all over Japan by year-end. They feature 46-inch LCD touch panels (1m high, 57cm wide) instead of buttons or knobs.

The idea, according to Coca Cola Japan’s executive vice-president Murata, is to make buying drinks from vending machines more fun for customers and to make sure the new model really stands out of the many machines in the country (Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita in the world).

And to achieve that, the company also throws in an advertising/digital signage function for businesses that rent the machines. It will also be available to display maps of the surroundings and to let people download information from the machines onto their cell phones. Currently, there are almost a million vending machines selling Coca Cola in Japan.

Sorry for the small picture – it’s the only one available currently.

Via Asahi [JP]

Hat tip to Akky Akimoto from Asiajin.