Farmers use vending machines to sell produce

Source : http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/regiomat/

In a world wrapped up in complex supply chains, small farmers are in a catch-22: sell to the supermarkets and get less cash for your carrots, or spend a lot more time and effort trying to sell directly to customers. Consumers, meanwhile, are torn between loyalty to local businesses and the convenience of those established supply chains. Now a German farm, Peter-und-Paul-Hof, has found a solution in the form of… vending machines. The result of a collaboration between the farm and vending manufacturer Stuewer, the specially designed Regiomat machines currently sell fresh milk, eggs, butter, cheese, potatoes and sausage in thirteen German towns and communities.

It’s not a solution that sprung up overnight. Initially, Peter-und-Paul-Hof were operating a service delivering milk to their customers. Finding this too time-consuming, they began encouraging customers to collect the milk from fridges on their farm, which proved successful and inspired them to use vending machines as a more versatile solution. The Regiomat machines can be placed outdoors 365 days a year as long as they’re under a roof (some have even been placed alongside hiking trails in Switzerland), effectively giving locals a 24-hour farmers’ market and farmers a lot more free time. By cutting out the middleman, this system also offers potential savings over retail stores. An update to the traditional farm stand that is beneficial to both farmers and local-loving consumers, this is definitely a concept we can see spreading to other parts of the world. (Related: Vending machines for healthy food.)

Website: www.stuewer.de/automaten/regiomat/index.htmlwww.peter-paul-hof.de
Contact: automaten@stuewer.de

Wearable device tracks fitness data 24/7

Fitness enthusiasts can already use their cell phones and the web to keep track of their progress toward their health goals, but typically such applications track a limited set of data or rely on accurate self-reporting. Fitbit, on the other hand, is a small device the user can wear around the clock for continuous, automatic and comprehensive fitness reporting.

The Fitbit Tracker can be clipped loosely on clothing or undergarments or worn directly on an included wristband. With a 3D motion sensor like that found in the Nintendo Wii, the Fitbit tracks the user’s activity in three dimensions and converts that data into useful information. Calories burned, steps taken and distance traveled are all recorded by the Fitbit automatically, for example, as are sleep quality data such as how long it took the user to fall asleep, the number of times they woke up during the night and how long they were actually sleeping. A blue OLED display on the rechargeable device shows data about the user’s overall activity level; in addition, any time he or she walks within 15 feet of the included wireless base station, data from the Fitbit is silently uploaded in the background to the Fitbit website. There, users can view detailed data about their fitness-related activities; they can also enter data about what they’ve eaten and participate in collaborative fitness goals with friends, family and co-workers. The complete Fitbit system, including tracker device, base station and software, is priced at USD 99.

California-based Fitbit is currently filling pre-orders, and will start filling new orders October 31st. Because of the necessary government certifications for wireless and product safety, however, it will initially ship only within the US. Fitbit does hope to enable international orders down the road—one to partner with and help make that happen…? (Related: Mobile apps hit the slopes.)

Website: www.fitbit.com
Contact: info@fitbit.com