F&B vending operator ATLAS Vending to roll out a pilot programme for vending machines specially equipped with additional assistive features to enable accessibility for blind and visually impaired customers.
ATLAS Vending has rolled out vending machines around LRT stations throughout Kuala Lumpur. The first Braille vending machine was installed on May 28. To date, there are 11 of such machines at LRT stations in the Klang Valley, including in the Brickfields area, where the MAB is based.
What accessibility features are included with the vending machines?
The machines have been equipped with Braille plates, indicator lights and motion-sensor triggered audio instructions. Additionally, the vending machines will carry bottled and canned drinks. It will also have audio-guided instructions for purchasing drinks, with cash and cashless payment options included.
Have these vending machines been deployed in any other region in Malaysia?
According to ATLAS Vending, these machines are the first Braille-enabled vending machines in the country.
What was the aim of the company in designing the new vending machine?
ATLAS Vending’s aim to reduce barriers facing the blindness community, such as the barriers that impede the visually impaired customers’ access to vending machines serving refreshments in public spaces. The vending machine company aims to progressively increase accessibility for members of the community with special needs, enabling them to gain access and improving the purchase experience.
Was there any collaboration with the blindness community?
The locations of the vending machines were chosen in consultation with the Malaysian Association for the Blind, with the identified locations being places where the blind and visually impaired travel. The vending machines’ assistive features were designed and tested in collaboration with the organization’s access team, which specialize in evaluating accessibility functions for the visually impaired.
ATLAS Vending said it is able to ensure that the special features are well-suited to the needs of visually impaired consumers. Though catered to the visually impaired, the vending machines are said to retain typical features for the use of other consumers.
As part of the collaboration, ATLAS Vending is making a RM10,000 donation to the Malaysian Association for the Blind’s COVID-19 campaign fund that aims to help the blind community, especially those who have lost their income due to the pandemic.
George Thomas, CEO of the Malaysian Association for the Blind, said the organization aims to educate and create equal opportunities for visually impaired persons, to enable these individuals to enjoy the same quality of life as the sighted. “People do not realize that without such technology designed for our visually impaired members, they face barriers in performing seemingly simple tasks that sighted persons may not give a second thought to, like purchasing a can of drink from a vending machine without assistance,” explained Thomas.
Head of marketing and ancillary business, Amy Gan, said the initiative to improve inclusivity by progressively increasing accessibility using technology is another milestone for the company. From conceptualization to prototype testing and to the actual rollout, the Malaysian Association for the Blind has given feedback and suggestions at each step.
“Details such as the spoken speed of the audio instructions and colours of the indicator lights were crucial guidance for us, helping the ATLAS Vending technology team improve the physical design and software features,” Gan said.
