In Japan, the country with the highest number of vending machines in the world, you can buy anything from hot drinks and snacks to DVDs and books with just a press of a few buttons. With a high population density and limited space, the convenience of vending machines has flourished. There is now one vending machine for every 23 people in Japan and in the UK it is estimated that there are nearly half a million refreshment vending machines. Globally the market is huge and the vending possibilities endless.

Japan has been at the forefront of vending machine technology, and often has rather extraordinary products for sale - for example, magazines, pizza, instant noodles, iPods, eggs, fresh fish and even live lobsters. A very recent innovation that is pushing vending boundaries is the Japanese vending machine which makes use of face recognition technology. The machine analyses the gender and age of the customer with touch panel screens and sensors and recommends a drink based on this data. As a result of the invention, the machine sells three times more drinks than regular vending machines. By 2012 it is expected that 500 of the machines will be installed in Tokyo and the surrounding areas, with the aim of influencing consumers to try new flavours and tastes.

Could this type of machine become commonplace in the future as this market continues to grow? It would certainly open the gateway to trying new tastes for many people who may shy away from certain drinks or foods because they've never tried them before.

Despite this Japanese technology being an amazing leap in innovation, on a smaller but just as innovative scale, office vending machines found in thousands of buildings have given consumers a taste of the world for hundreds of years. In the drinks sector, with a wide variety of flavours available such as Japanese green tea, Italian roast coffee or a warming Belgian chocolate, consumers have been able to try tastes from around the world without having to leave the building. If you once thought your daily cup of coffee wasn't too special, read the ingredients and you are likely to find a distinctive range of exotic beans and flavours from around the world right in your hands.

Only time can tell what vending machine technology will take the UK by storm, or what unique inventions the Japanese will come up with. But without doubt the technology is an amazing piece of innovative thinking that has enriched our lives with flavour, culture, choice and a bit of fun too.