Gizmodo: uniqlo

Uniqlo Human Vending Machine Previews Our Future in the Robot Apocalypse

Benny Goldman — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST

If you couldn't make it to Times Square this morning, the clip above shows what happens when humans become vending machines. Yes, it was a stunt put on by Uniqlo, and no, it didn't ruin shopping forever. It's actually pretty great; first you get your body scanned to reveal your hottest and coldest parts, then no matter the result, a human trapped inside a box delivers you a warm HeatTech shirt. Uniqlo has other demos planned in Paris, Shanghai and Seoul, but if you won't be in any of those places, at least you can rest easy knowing that you'll still have a job when the robots take over. [Uniqlo]

Uniqlo to Set Up Human Vending Machines, Ruin Shopping Forever

Adam Frucci — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Are you looking to buy clothes in the most awkward way possible? Well, Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is bringing that opportunity to holiday shoppers in New York's Times Square by setting up human vending machines. Yes, they're vending machines with mimes inside, with human assistants in metallic bodysuits there to help you. Yikes.

The whole thing is to promote their new Heat Tech innerwear line.

Basically we’re going to have two mimes. A male and a female mime inside the machine. And the public can see them through glass. When you get there, we’re going to have Uniqlo reps dressed in the silver bodysuits. And they’re going to hold a thermograph scanner — think of an airport security machine. The thermographer identifies cold spots in your body. After you go through that, you go to the vending machine and push a button and the mimes are going to do a synchronized choreographed routine and then your outfit comes out.

No thank you. Just look at the picture! It'll be like shopping on the set of a crappy, low-budget sci-fi movie. [PSFK]

Uniqlo Wakamaru Robot Shopping Guide Is Afraid of Americans

matt buchanan — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:20:00 EDT

We took a trip down to Uniqlo to see how the American invasion of their Wakamaru shopping robot was faring. Not so well. Bewildered by the bustling crowd scurrying around against booming techno music, it had to be led around by hand and had trouble understanding our bizarre alien language. When our intern asked, "Where are the shirts?" it chastely told him not to use naughty language. Hell, it even looks confused. Breathe easy, retail employees, your job is safe. For now. Video by Nick McGlynn.

T-Shirt Vending Machine Store Eliminates Annoying Salesmen

Travis Hudson — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:20:43 EDT

From the department of awesome overseas ideas is this store, which isn't so much a store but a massive vending machine. This is the UNIQLO store in Tokyo and the products for sale are just T-shirts crammed into tubes. Look at the pictures, insert the money and choose your shirt—easy peasy. Stateside, I think we need back from the high-tech vending machines and create something more practical, like a T-shirt vending machine store. –Travis Hudson

World's Biggest Vending Machine: An Entire Store [Gadget Lab]