How it works
The Swap-o-matic is a vending machine that encourages users to trade rather than buy! It playfully reminds us that reusing and recycling can be just as fun as buying something new.
The basic rules of use for the Swap-O-Matic are simple. Though each item in the machine (donated by another user) will not cost the recipient any money, it will require “credits”. A credit is earned when the user donates to the system, and a credit is required to retrieve an item from the machine. New users receive 3 credits to start. Users can donate, receive, or swap using the touch screen interface on the front of the machine. Other features, such as a user flag system, have been developed and implemented to prevent misuse or stalemate of the system.
Goals
The goal of this project is to promote a shift in culture away from an emphasis on unconscious consumption towards a more sustainable way of life through reusing and trading.
The Swap-O-Matic is intended to be both a solution and critical response to the consuming, corporate culture that we live in today. Its core function is to support the reuse and recycling of products through swapping among participants. The project’s form, a vending machine, is not only a tool for swapping, but also comments on the problematic culture by playing on notions of the immediacy, instant-gratification, and convenience, values often associated with vending machines.
See more about this in the why section of this site.