The Olivetti North America arm of Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA is to build a new automatic teller machine designed to bring a whole new dimension to the buying experience. Instead of simply dispensing dreary old greenbacks, it will pump out air tickets to exotic places – and insurance policies to pay out to your relatives if the airline fails to get you there and back safely. The new machine is the brainchild of Docunet Inc of South San Francisco, and according to the Associated Press, the company has lined up 1,500 locations for the first year of installation. Other partners on the venture are Electronic Data Systems Corp, Bell Atlantic Corp and Chemical Banking Corp. The stand-alone Docunet Delivery Machines will feature colour touch screens, and 1,000 will be installed in public places, the rest in large corporate offices. Initially the machines will deliver airline tickets previously ordered by customers through travel agents or by themselves, and tickets to concerts and other events will be available early next year. Linked by the machine to an Electronic Data Systems financial services network, people will be able to use major charge and credit cards to pay, as well as their bank teller machine cards. The company says it also sees the machines spitting out mutual funds – unit trusts, insurance policies and even health and welfare entitlements.
