About the authors: James Bickers and Bryan Harris cover self-service and kiosk technology for Self-Service World and Kiosk Marketplace. (Bryan Harris also edits The Self-Service & Kiosk Association.)

* Click here to view the 2006 Self-Service World Outstanding Achievement Awards photographs. The awards were presented Sept. 29 at the Self-Service and Kiosk show.

A few short decades ago, the "store of the future" was a catalog showroom where customers filled out paper forms on clipboards and waited while their products were rolled down the line to the checkout.

IBM's view of tomorrow's retail store is very different; paper gives way to digital display and conveyor belts give way to bottom-of-basket scanners and wireless payment mechanisms.

Actually, there is still a conveyor belt in IBM's future, at the heart of its new Model 171 self-checkout unit. While most large-format self-checkout units so far have used a carousel for bags, the 171 uses a long belt, resembling in many a conventional checkout. The new linear construction allows full maintenance access from the front of the machine, making it possible for the first time to put them back-to-back; a shielded front and non-weight-sensitive metal enclosure means kids will no longer upset the weighing mechanism by leaning against the device.

(Photograph by Joseph Grove) The Store of the Future, presented by IBM, showcased solutions by IBM, Cypermint, Evolution Robotics, Mix & Burn and St. Clair Interactive.

But the 171 was just one component of IBM's "Store of the Future," a special exhibit that was the lynchpin of The Self-Service & Kiosk Show, held Sept. 28-29 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. It shared a room with two other special pavilions, the Photo Kiosk Gallery and the C-Store Zone. (Read more about the c-store zone, and the foray of Casio into the kiosk industry.)

Digital signage figures prominently in IBM's future store; the exhibit was surrounded by bright displays delivering marketing messages and touting the benefits of an integrated self-service approach to retail.

Nearby, traffic was brisk at the Cyphermint display, where the payment-processing company demonstrated its PayCash Mobile - a system that allows customers to make payments at a kiosk or other device using their cell phones. Mix & Burn was on hand with its music-burning kiosk, stocked with major-label entertainment content. And St. Clair Interactive was there to offer details from its integrated solution for the Giant Food grocery chain.

One of the most interesting technologies at the IBM pavilion was the LaneHawk by Evolution Robotics. Using a high-end camera and sophisticated image-recognition software, the LaneHawk takes a photo of shopping cart contents and looks up UPC codes for the products to send that information to the POS. It's a high-tech way to cut down on one of the most low-tech forms of loss – the accidental (or intentional) omission of bottom-of-basket products from a sale.

JD Events, owners of KioskCom, recently acquired the Self-Service & Kiosk Show, making this year's show the official swan song for Louisville, Ky.-based Networld Alliance, the show's former owner and operator.

On the show floor

Arrow Electronics, a complete kiosk-hardware solutions provider, designs solutions for original equipment manufacturers - so its brand isn't as distinguishable as its products. During the show, Arrow touted its full line of kiosk parts, including embedded PCs, sunlight-readable displays and protective glass. Arrow's three key offerings include design and engineering, systems manufacturing and post-manufacturing, said Arrow's Julie Benefiel.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide offered its special handling services, including transportation and setup of self-service devices. Handling features include air-ride, blanket wrap, lift gates and decking. Other services include inventory management, assembly, expedited transportation, storage, crossdocking, point-of-purchase display assembly, job-site inspections and rollout programs.

Comark Corp. displayed its Multi-Touch indoor/outdoor kiosk, which features multiple processors, outdoor ticketing and a stainless steel keyboard. It was the first time the kiosk has been displayed, said product sales manager Patrick Wallace, who also passed out literature about Comark's new uninterruptible power supply for harsh environments.

"It's geared toward any kind of severe environments," Wallace said. "Hot, cold, dust, subway, this is completely sealed. It's liquid cooled."

Corporate Safe Specialists showed its Brinks-approved Self Out System, a secure transactional kiosk that stores cash spent at the kiosk in a secure environment built to Brinks' standards. The kiosk includes a touchscreen, camera, HTML-based interface, card reader, bar-code scanner, currency acceptor, PC/CPU, and a patented lock system. The vault is made of half-inch thick steel and can resist an attack by tools for 15 minutes. The kiosk is made to have its cash inventory serviced directly by Brinks' personnel, much like an ATM, and will be part of Brinks cash-management solution.

CreditCall Corp., a recognized name in the payments space, is bringing its message to the kiosk industry by providing a gateway for card payments. CardEaseXML is now recognized throughout the world as a leader in payment services for unattended terminals. CreditCall is PCI Data Security Standard-certified.

Diebold Premier Services proffered its network of maintenance services for self-service devices. Diebold recently announced an exclusive service agreement with Source Technologies. Services business development manager Kevin Mickle discussed the arrangement from the show floor.

"(Source has) some good products," Mickle said. "And it fits into a lot of things we're trying to do."

Electrone Americas LTD Co., which designs and manufactures data-input products like mini kiosks and bill validators, says it's targeting the low-cost, entry-level market. The company customizes printers, kiosks, keyboards and key displays, and sells LCDs.

"We're primarily involved in helping people with components," a company spokesman said.

Electronic Systems Protection, with its power-surge demonstrations, is the one booth that's sure to make exhibitors jump. Showing off its show staples, power filters and surge protectors, came as no surprise. But one new offering did: The MinuteMan MN series UPS - a battery backup that ESP is now distributing for MinuteMan. The UPS complements ESP's product line, said ESP's Mike Honkomp. If the power supply goes down, the MN UPS's power-management software saves open files to a temporary directory and safely shuts down the system.

Elo TouchSystems showcased touch solutions for 15-, 17- and 19-inch mounted units, which included controller and monitor rolled into one. The plastic and rugged LCD, which Elo calls its kiosk/gaming monitor, uses iTouch Touch-On-Tube Surface technology. The monitor hit the market a year ago and sells for between $480 and $600, depending on the volume ordered and the screen size.

Epson America Inc. is America's leading POS-printer provider to OEMs. During the show, the company showed off some of the printers it provides to big OEMs like ATM manufacturers Diebold Inc. and Tranax Technologies.

Passersby couldn't miss the Euro Touch booth, which included a mammoth interactive touchscreen supported by Seattle-based Advanced Method, the Seattle digital-signage company that took home the 2005 DIGI Award for its interactive designs. Euro Touch and Advanced Method also designed the interactive touchscreen found at the entrance to the showroom floor. The two companies have been working together for the last few months. Euro Touch focuses on the hardware and antiglare tech for touchscreens; Advanced Method focuses on interactive solutions for on- and off-line applications. (The arrangement between the two companies is not exclusive.)

Exemplum, a 6-year-old tech company that has a steeped history in Web-based applications, is making strides into the kiosk space, said Exemplum president Leigh Huff.

"We've been around since 2000, but this (the kiosk show) is new to us. In the past, we did more stuff on the Web."

Now Exemplum is taking its interactive solutions to market, and it hopes to attract kiosk deployers and financial institutions that are serious about deploying content across their self-service-terminal channels.

"We develop custom content. We could design the whole display or just the parts they want," Huff said.

Fivepoint LLC and KioWare showed off their incorporated hardware and software solutions, which cover a range of applications, including Fivepoint's teller-assist solution offered on its inSight kiosk. For KioWare, Phreesia, developed with a different hardware partner, was the focal point. Phreesia is an HR-oriented application that eliminates the need for clip boards in, for example, doctors' offices, said Stephanie Kropkowski, KioWare's marketing analyst.

Beyond the Store of the Future exhibit, IBM highlighted six primary innovations in self-service technology from its two exhibit-floor booths. From healthcare to horseracing to retail services, IBM's hardware was on display supporting a variety of applications.

Of special interest was the horse-racing kiosk, rightly named the Advance Racing Information, Wagering and Entertainment platform that IBM and Opera Glass Networks designed for Louisville, Ky.'s Churchill Downs. The portable, mountable device - a customized Anyplace Kiosk, was introduced at Derby 2005. It's a compact and durable system - one that IBM says will live between five and seven years - that allows users to place bets and orders all from the comfort of their seats. Churchill Downs uses 310 of the wagering kiosks.

Opera Glass Networks is now placing similar kiosks in other entertainment venues, including opera houses.

"We bring meaningful content from multiple sources to one platform to promote the content to the enduser," said Barry Goldberg of Opera Glass Networks. "We deal in real-time environments, where the information is needed right away. For instance, we can translate the opera for a user."

Also on display in the IBM booth was IBM's Instant Credit Kiosk, which walks users through the credit-pplication process while their in the store. The platform, designed by Wirespring Technologies, has helped retailers increase their in-store credit-card issuance, said Michael Smith, Wirespring's vice president of sales and marketing.

"We've found that people like to use this, because it's fast - between two and three minutes - and it's private."

The deployment has been on the market for 18 months, he said.

Hemisphere West International, which sells currency-validation products, explained to attendees its recent deal with JCM. The two companies are now partnering to manufacture cash dispensers. As the ATM and kiosk industries get more complex, the two companies see opportunity for growth.

ID Tech, a leading manufacturer of smart card, contactless and mag-stripe readers, focused attendee attention on its TriBrid MagStripe, Smart Card & Contactless Insert Reader. As Visa and MasterCard shift more payments to contactless cards, ID Tech hopes to be ahead of the curve, said Justin Ning, ID Tech's product manager.

Beyond contactless, ID Tech introduced its SmartPIN, a Payment Card Industry-certified PIN-entry device expected to hit the market by the end of the year. Most units sell for around $100 and can come equipped with an LCD screen and stainless steel or plastic keys.

Immersion Corp. displayed its tactile feedback flat screens, which give users a satisfying experience when they select a touchpoint on the screen. The screen responds with push-back. The California company, which provides the technology behind most tactile touchscreen deployments on the market today, introduced its feedback monitors at the February 2006 show in Orlando.

Industrial Electronic Engineers has been in the display-automation business for 60 years, taking what it learned early on and applying it to kiosks and ATMs. From its color-graphic ScanVue, a mini-kiosk with a touchscreen and label/receipt printer, to its price-check merchandise, IEE is offering kiosk deployers low-cost alternatives. Its LCDs may be fitted for CRT replacement on ATMs, and its ScanVue mini-kiosk sells for a third of what a full-scale kiosk would. During the show, this global ISO 9001-certified supplier showed off its two-way video communications solution for bank tellers - a customized solution that one IEE customer requested.

Infonox is the name behind many solutions, and the brand is well known in the kiosk and ATM spaces. It's specialty: financial transactions. At the Infonox booth, the Active Kiosk Suite, built on Infonox's Active payment platform was the highlight.

"We focus on transactions, and we help our customers build an application library that's intuitive," said Randy Johnson, Infonox's vice president of solution engineering.

At this show, Infonox showcases its turnkey kiosk platform, a modular set-up that provides an end-to-end solutions infrastructure. It can include everything from biometrics to check-reading.

King Products & Solutions Inc. unveiled its security kiosk, designed specifically for airport deployments. The KAVEO includes a biometric feature, allowing deployers to verify identify with a fingerprint or iris scan or combination of the two for back-up.

"It really is meant to be used anywhere that needs security," said Brian Chamberlain, KING's senior U.S. sales director. "We even envision this working in a theme park, where identities need to be verified, and members don't want to carry cards."

The KAVEO also includes a chip-card reader, which complements airport deployments - users can verify their biometric data by comparing it to what's saved on the card.

KIOSK Information Systems showed its bevy of self-service solutions, including the Self-Service World Magazine Outstanding Achievement Award gold medal winner in Travel & Hospitality, the Amtrak Quiticketing kiosk. Its booth also included a catalog-browsing and 3D product demonstration kiosk developed with YES Solutions. The Web-based software included the ability to page through a virtual catalog via touch interface, shown on a KIOSK Stealth.

"It's an interactive way to bring excitement to a product," YES national sales manager Todd Frick said.

La Gard Inc., a well-known lock brand on the ATM circuit, is just beginning to show its wares to the kiosk audience - an audience that's beginning to appreciate the important role a good lock plays, said Orlando Consalvi, La Gard's national product manager. At the show, La Gard highlighted features offered on and through Navigator - a Web-based system that allows deployers to monitor online access to their kiosks' electronic locks. The company also showcased its line of electronic locks, the LG Basic and LG Audit.

Garnering additional attention during the show was La Gard's SmartPoint safe-access biometric system, expected to complete its beta-testing and hit the market in December. With SmartPoint, a deployer can manage up to five locks on each kiosk or safe. The system incorporates La Gard's SmartLink lock with biometrics technology from Integrated Biometrics. To access the lock, deployers can require a fingerprint scan and a PIN, or just one of the two.

Livewire International, well known in the kiosk and ATM space for its ticketing-software engine, had some tried and true offerings on display. But it was the company's electronic concierge that took center stage for this season's show. The electronic concierge, set up for a hotel or tourist environment for the show's viewing, uses VoIP and allows users to buy tickets right at the kiosk. It also provides information about area attractions, including restaurants and lounges.

Max International, a well-known thermal-printer provider, showed its new repositionable thermal printer at the show. And no, those weren't sticky notes that donned Max International's booth - the repositionable printer dispenses receipts that can be adhered to any surface, making it easy for order-takers to post tickets over kitchen counters and users to review nutritional facts when they get home. Of course, the user possibilities are endless. The cool attribute is that the printer can dispense receipts that stick without getting all gummed up.

Palm Desert National Bank represented its ATM and kiosk cash-handling and transaction services. Their booth included a Cricket bill-pay kiosk by Tio Networks, built to accept cash and/or card payments on Cricket cellular phone accounts. Tio, one of the largest providers of self-service financial solutions to unbanked and underbanked consumers in North America, has contracted PDNB's cash-management services since December 2004.

Parabit Systems marketed its custom-kiosk-building capabilities during the show, including financial kiosks. In fact, 250 of kiosks are expected to deploy at Citibank for payments and transactions, said Parabit vice president Mike Pesce. The custom kiosks also are used at Chase, Bank of America, casinos and hotels.

Pay-Ease highlighted its automatic-commerce machine, a scalable billpay and card/sticker-printing solution that includes the ability to take checks. One version of the machine, the City of Milwaukee Automated Payment Center, won a bronze Self Service World Outstanding Achievements Award in the Public Sector division.

St. Clair Interactive proffered its myriad kiosk and self-service software solutions. The company won yet another of a string of awards for its Shopping Solutions/Giant Food Stores: The company took the gold in the retail category of Self-Service World's Outstanding Achievement Awards.

SCAN COIN North America Inc. proves that kiosk deployers can make big bucks from small change. The manufacturer of loose-coin-conversion kiosks has supplied more than 1,400 SCAN COIN CDSs (coin deposit systems) to Safeway since 2003. The systems use alloy detection and five points of measurement on each coin to determine how much a customer has dumped in from his pockets. The vault holds about $3,000 in change, and retailers typically charge an 8.9 percent fee for the coin-to-cash redemption service, said Per Lundin, the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Source Technologies demonstrated its scalable, multifunctional transactional kiosks, which included its Cox Communications Xpress Pay Kiosk - the kiosk won two Self Service World Outstanding Achievement Awards this year. The device includes the ability to accept cards, cash and checks as well as scans bills, transacting payments in 1-1.5 minutes.

Source also showed its new Concourse 5-Series, which can include ID scan, biometric identification, camera, a Triple-des pin pad, RFID reader and signature pad.

Technical Transportation Inc.'s One-Touch program provides a turnkey solution for ATM and kiosk deployers. Tech Trans provides the transportation, logistics and installation throughout North America. Focusing on the enclosure solution is just part of the equation.

"Getting your idea out the market is the hard part," one Tech Trans spokesman said.

Technik Mfg. Inc. grew up on the vending side of the tracks, but the ISO 9001-certified mechanism company is taking its payment-acceptance expertise to the kiosk industry. Technik's range of bar-code and mag-stripe readers has been a focus for the last five years. Today, the market is interested in Technik's customizable solutions for vending CDs and DVDs, said Tim Graf, a sales representative for the company.

One such device, the CD1, Technik's newest CD and DVD dispenser, was introduced at the show. Like its predecessor, the CDJ, the CD1 costs about $400. The only difference: The CDJ dispenses CDs and DVDs in jewel cases; the CD1 dispenses media in paper jackets.

Telequip showed its coin-dispensing solutions, commonly found in self-checkout systems, which can handle U.S., European or U.K. currency. Also in the booth was sister-company CashCode, showing cash-handling solutions including the Bill to Bill Currency Management System. Bill to Bill could hold 300 notes for recycling, deposit 1,000 notes into a drop box, and accept up to 25 unbundled bills at a time at a speed of one second per bill.

Transaction Network Services is bringing broadband and wireless connectivity, a service it has long offered in the ATM space, to the kiosk industry.

"TNS's KioskConnect product addresses the data networking needs of the self-service industry," said Kent Phillips, vice president of self-service solutions. "Through this service, TNS offers a single point of contact for installation, monitoring and billing, as well as on-Net access to all major credit/debit card processors. The product supports both secure SSL and VPN transactions and will provide direct access to processors through the TNS network, one of the most secure and reliable backbones available."

TNS is helping kiosk deployers by building on its years of experience in the vending space, especially where card-acceptance is concerned. Synapse Cashless Vending by TNS is the only Pepsi Trademark Authorized provider of cashless vending; it accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Phillips said cashless vending options help increase sales.

Ventus Technologies offered its proprietary virtual financial network products and remote-management capabilities. Ventus manages thousands of ATMs networked wirelessly via cellular routers, enabling the machines to be deployed in remote places that might otherwise be hard to network. Their routers support standard protocols, legacy protocols and cellular WAN connections; they also include built-in diagnostics and signal strength detection. Their VFN includes the ability to perform fallback routing, in which deployers can configure alternate paths to hosts for disaster recovery.

WebRaiser Technologies Inc. demonstrated its digital-sign content-management system. The software offers remote management, with a locally available file browser that could be used on-site to manage signs locally. The package included an SQL console and log viewer, and a system of prioritizing content by time and importance. The system also enables download to the sign, or direct streaming for real-time viewing via the Web, and RSS syndication for news, sports scores and similar content.

Related Content

• 
  That's not a mobile phone, it's an ATM security …
• 
  Are gift cards the Next Big Thing for ATMs?
• 
  The real story about store-branded debit cards

• Get help from all our vendors with one click.