A Bitcoin Vending Machine

bitcoinVendingMachine

Accessibility is one of the biggest hurdles facing the Bitcoin revolution, so [Mathias] found a way to give BTCs some market penetration by converting an old condom vending machine. The machine was 30 years old and required some clean up. [Mathias] also worked in a plywood adapter that attaches to the mount on the back so it can install on a wider variety of surfaces. This is an electricity-free alternative to selling coins: the machine is purely mechanical and it vends custom-made vouchers rather than the coins themselves, which you then redeem on the Kondocoin website.

The transaction isn’t as instant or snazzy as the Bitcoin briefcase converter from Defcon this year, but it still provides the advantage of an up-to-date exchange rate, as the vouchers themselves are valued at amount of Euros spent rather than a set amount of coins. The exchange rate is consulted later, when you punch in your voucher key. [Mathias] wants to share the wealth, too, and offers up the server software on github along with a detailed explanation of the process.

21 thoughts on “A Bitcoin Vending Machine

  1. So you get a voucher, which you must redeem online for actual Bitcoins. Assuming you can do that, then you could have just bought the Bitcoins directly online. I fail to see how this makes them more accessible.

    The choice of vending machine is delightfully ironic though. Condoms or Bitcoins, with either you’re probably going to get screwed.

      1. And then those people who are confused by this new-fangled stuff can just take their bitcoins down to the local shop and buy stuff…

        Err….

        Wait I’ve got it, it’s an art installation.

        Yeah, art. That’s the ticket.

        It’s demonstrating the futility of money or man’s inhumanity to man or something like that.

        Art.

    1. The photo was taken at the mrmcd 2013 last weekend.
      I’ve been there in person (and had that chance to test the device by the way).
      I can assure you: it was not nailed to the tree.
      It was rather mounted there temporarily using cable ties … so no tree was harmed during this action and the machine is in nice dry place again now.

  2. Except now in order to actually get this tiny little transaction processed, you have to attach a tip to get noticed by the large bitcoin miners.

    Bitcoin is a neat idea, but people really need to move on.

    1. A 0.0001 transaction fee is enough to get it confirmed quickly. That’s about a penny/cent. And obviously, this machine is just a way to bring bitcoin to people’s attention. Creating awareness for bitcoin is a way of moving on.

  3. “The exchange rate is consulted later, when you punch in your voucher key. ”

    This “later” point, is this where you exchange real money for internet experiement/pretend money? Or you could just flush your hard earned cash down the toilet, it would save you a lot of heartache…..

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