National vending machine show hits Chicago!

 
Vending machines have come along way in the past 2,000 years. According to the National Automated Machines Association, the first "vending machine" was put into use in 215 B.C., a device to dispense holy water used in the temples of Egypt. Uh, huh. Some other fun vending machine facts:

- The vending industry is a $30 billion a year industry, employing 700,000 people who work at an estimated 13,500 companies.

- 100 million Americans will use on of 7 million vending machines each day.

- 16.3% of all vending machines are located in schools and colleges. Most vending machines are located in manufacturing settings (30.2%)

NAMA will be set up in Navy Pier over the next two days, with dozens of vendors set up to show off their latest creations. Among the machines we caught - a cotton candy machine that whips up the sugary snack in seconds. The sticky will set you back $2.

Another is a futuristic, iPhone like machine called the Digi-Touch. This one was on display by Kraft Foods, who demonstrated how the flat-screen, Samsung created front allowed customers to touch their choice. If you insert a $20 bill, you'll get paper money in return. The machine also accepts credit cards. And in between orders, the flat screen turns into a large animated advertisement for the various products inside.

Kraft's Mike Miller told us about the various challenges the creative team had when designing the machine - which houses plenty of chocolate products.

"The heat from the screen was beginning to make the chocolate soft and melt a little bit," Mike told us. " What we've done, is we actually have two fans. One at the bottom to push the air out over the screen. One at the top to suck that air out of the top, so we don't have any issues anymore with soft or slightly melted chocolate."

Other machines include the Akoona Ice Machine, a behemoth of a product that pumps out bags of fresh ice for just 75 cents. It's a big improvement from gas station ice, which, according to Akoona Reps, often comes trucked in from large factories that use chemicals during the production process. Akoona's ice is chemical free and never touches a human hand. Pull your cooler up, and with three gushes, it's full to the brim.

The NAMA convention runs through Friday, but it's only open to vendors. Check out my video above to feel what it was like to be there. Plus, you'll get to keep some change in your pocket.