Douwe Egberts launches world’s first yawn-activated coffee vending machine

Douwe Egberts recently surprised weary airport-goers in South Africa with an ingenious piece of technology that dispensed a free cup of coffee at the exact moment they yawned.

Using clever facial recognition software and plenty of instant coffee, the company successfully rewarded 210 yawns at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg as part of their Bye Bye Red Eye campaign.

In the video below, unsuspecting travellers can be seen approaching a seemingly standard coffee vending machine. But confusion soon turns to elation when they yawn, and some individuals can even be seen looking around for someone to pay.

Also in the video, Douwe Egberts – one of the world’s best-loved coffee brands – claims that research has shown people are more likely to switch to their coffee once they’ve tried it. But they’ll surely win people over if they keep delivering campaigns like this.

The video was first shared by @mikesharman and @andrewbloch on Twitter.

UPDATE: Joe Public and Retroviral, the two agencies behind the campaign, have since created this cool infographic to demonstrate how they managed to secure global online coverage for Douwe Egberts.

Food & Drink