Remember the days when all you could grab from a vending machine was your favorite snack or maybe a Coca-Cola? Well, you won’t believe the incredible things you can buy from vending machines today!

From gold bars to luxury cars, read on to see some of the most unique vending machines in the world.

Introduced in airports across the US in 2010, Sephora vending machines provide make-up and skincare essentials for time-pressed travelers. They offer shoppers around 50 products in carry-on safe sizes – perfect for those times airport security confiscates your full-sized bottle of moisturizer.

Spurred on by the coronavirus pandemic, and the renewed focus on hygiene, demand for Californian business Chowbotics' fresh food robot 'Sally' increased dramatically. The vending machine-style robot prepares fresh dishes such as salad, grain bowls and yogurt, and as it became clear COVID-19 was not going to disappear overnight, enquiries for the hygienic, human-free food preparation tool quadrupled in June compared to April and May last year.

This LEGO vending machine was spotted in a train station in Germany, presumably for parents about to go on long journeys with small children and no entertainment. LEGO vending machines are also found in Toronto and the company behind them, Signifi, was planning to roll them out across North America.

Caviar is one of the rarest and most luxurious delicacies in the world. Yes, you really can buy one of the world’s most expensive ingredients from a vending machine. An LA-based luxury machine will charge you up to $500 for an ounce of fish eggs. Luckily, it accepts credit cards.

Another luxury to become a vending machine product, this Moët and Chandon dispenser was installed in the luxury department in Selfridges, London. Created by design group K6, the machine offered 200ml bottles of fizz, fresh from the store, for just £18 ($23) a pop.

Have you ever wanted to get a live crustacean from a vending machine? Well, it’s a possibility in China. The little critters are stored in plastic containers at 41⁰F, and sold for between $1.50 and $7.

There appears to be something of a cottage industry for dog wigs and hats in Japan. These canine accessories are now available on the go in selected vending machines in Tokyo, operating 24 hours a day for all your puppy grooming emergencies.

Not every McDonald’s will be open to cater for your fast food cravings at 4am. The solution? A burger vending machine in the Netherlands that you can satisfy your patty panic at any time of day or night.

Forget chasing the ice cream truck or queueing in-store to buy a single cone, this Japanese vending machine is for all you ice cream lovers on the go.

South Korean cult brand I Hate Monday launched this quirky sock vending machine in 2013. Sock designer Hong Jung Mi wanted a place to sell her colorful socks, but found that conventional retail space was too pricey, so she decided to experiment with vending machines. They were a runaway success and I Hate Monday socks can be found all over Seoul.

Do you ever wish your hot dog would be ready in under a minute? A Leon’s Grill machine promises you’ll have your grilled hot dog vended out on a toasted bun faster than you can chant out the alphabet. And you won’t need to forgo the sauce either! Thank you America!

You can buy farm-fresh unpasteurized milk from machines all over Europe for around $1.30 a liter. The vending machine (pictured) dispenses empty containers on the right and you’ll get your fresh milk on the left.

Trendy hipsters love bicycles, so it's no surprise that this bike part vending machine first popped up in Brooklyn, New York – the hippest neighborhood in the country. There's also a tyre pump attached to it and selected snacks.

This vending machine at Berdoll Pecan Farm in Cedar Creek, Texas will fulfill all of your pecan pie needs. As the south is said to love its pecans, it seems only fitting that you can purchase a whole baked pecan pie from a machine right outside the retail store. Give it a try, the Texans love it!

Believe it or not, marijuana vending machines are fairly common in North America in states where medicinal marijuana consumption is legal. All you need is a doctor's prescription and you can access the herb from one of many vending machines available in California, Colorado and around Canada. 

There seems to be a few of these claw machines around where you can catch your dinner then the establishment will cook it for you. Some places cook the lobster free of charge if you manage to catch one. If you want to enjoy this novelty, you'll need to travel to Las Vegas.

Now we have the full complement of fast food vending machines to enjoy. You can find these machines worldwide, especially in Europe, America and Australia. Inside the machine are frozen potatoes (or pre-cut fries) which are then cooked at a high temperature to deliver your food to you in a matter of minutes. And you don’t have to pass on the sauce either!

To use these machines in Japan, shoppers simply insert cash and hand-select their eggs by opening one of the compartment doors. Unfortunately, with this kind of purchase, you only get one chance to pick the eggs you’d like. What do you do if they’re all broken?

Have you ever found yourself craving a bite to eat, but there are no kosher meals available anywhere? Fear not, Hot Nosh 24/6 machines in America have come to the rescue. You could grab a hot knish, some kosher mozzarella sticks, cheese pizza and onion rings. There are also hot dogs available, but not from the same machine of course, as that wouldn’t be kosher. Regardless, the machine products sound pretty tasty.

This nifty little machine is found in Tokyo’s Shibuya subway station, and it will dispense single bananas, or bananas in a bunch if you are particularly hungry. It would of course be cheaper to buy the bananas from a store (each banana costs $1.50 from the machine!), but who can resist the novelty? Dole have even provided special bins so that you never cause a comical banana peel accident again.

Here is a vending machine in France selling fresh baguettes. And it's not just the French who want to get their bread on the go as hot bread machines have been seen in the Netherlands too.

Or if it’s not warm bread you want to buy, you can always grab some bread from a can. But this carby treat can only be found in Japan. Each can of bread costs $4 and flavors include chocolate chip, coffee and fruit.

Do you ever need a sugar fix? One that can only be put right by a cupcake? Fear no more, Sprinkles bakery is at your service. The 24-hour cupcake vending machine offers you the chance to buy your favorite iced cupcake, cupcake batter to bake at home, or some sweet treats for your pooch. The US machine has 760 cupcakes available at any one time and, with 20 varieties for you to drool over, there’s something for everyone.

Pizza vending machines have been around in Europe for a while, but Xavier University has the first-ever pizza machine in North America. Each 12-inch pizza only costs $12, and you can choose from pepperoni, veggie or cheese. It can only store 70 pizzas inside, so if you want a pizza after a crazy night out in Ohio you better get there fast!

Perhaps more shocking is that Italy received its first pizza vending machine in 2021. A brave move in the home of pizza, the Mr. Go Pizza machine in Rome prepares freshly baked slices in just three minutes, each costing between €4.50 and €6 (around $5.45-$7.25) depending on the toppings. Although the new addition was met with skepticism from locals, the machine reportedly sold around 900 pizzas in the first few weeks it was open.

Who hasn't dreamed of holding a solid gold bar in their hands? With the Gold to Go vending machines you can at the push of a button. The machine tracks real-time gold prices on commodities markets, which mean that keen investors can pick up a bar or coin when the price is right. Gold to Go is available in the US, Austria, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Portugal.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that many governments around the world made it compulsory to wear a face mask in shops and other enclosed public spaces. In the UK, where face coverings were made obligatory on 24 July 2021, Vendamask sold masks by Maskey starting from £6.99 ($8.90), for those in need of face protection when they are out. There were around 19 Vendamasks situated around the UK at its peak, including this one pictured near Carnaby Street, a popular shopping district of London.

 

Not everybody likes to while away the hours trawling through racks of clothing, so why not grab what you need from a vending machine? In 2017 Japanese retailer Uniqlo introduced 10 clothing vending machines in airports and shopping malls in several major US states. The Uniqlo To Go machines mostly sell heat-retaining shirts and lightweight jackets that are contained in cans and boxes. If the items are unsuitable, customers can return their clothing in-store.

In 2014 sustainability company Pugedon in Istanbul decided to take on two of the city’s major issues: too much plastic waste and an abundance of stray animals. The team created a plastic bottle recycling unit that would dispense food and water each time somebody donated their trash, and it even featured a tray for people to pour away extra water from their bottles, which would go straight into storage for the animals.

Vending machines full of reading material have become a popular way to encourage children to read more across the world, such as this Soar with Reading vending machine that distributed free books in Houston to benefit communities affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Pictured is Icema Gibbs, director of corporate social responsibility at JetBlue, the company behind the vending machine.

Launched in late 2016, this entire building in Singapore is one giant luxury car vending machine. Autobahn Motor's ABM facility showcases 60 exotic, vintage and supercars, which buyers can browse on a tablet on the ground floor before an automated retrieval system brings your choice down. While this is not technically the world's first car vending machine (they've been around in the US for a while), the Ferraris and Lamborghinis on offer almost certainly make it the most luxurious.  

Now take a look at some genius inventors who missed out on millions