I don’t mean virtual hugs or those that you give by tapping some button that says “hug.” I’m talking about real, actual hugs, where you embrace the machine with your arms and give it an affectionate squeeze. The sensor detects you hugging it and then spews out a can of Coke afterwards.

These vending machines that scream out the word “hug” have already landed Singapore, and Coke plans on rolling them out to other countries in Southeast Asia.

I’m just wondering why there isn’t a longer line for free soda because I know I’d hug it at least once a day to get my daily Coke fix.

[via Marketing Interactive via Mashable via Gizmodo]

This Coke Man was built out of 2,500 cases of Coca-Cola. It weighs 28 tons and is about 55 feet high, and is part of a recycling initiative. That is, after the World Cup is over, Coke Man will be reused and recycled – for what, we don’t know.

While this isn’t as impressive as the Gundam statue in Japan, it’s still pretty amazing. I expect that they took adequate precautions to prevent this giant Coke Man from collapsing!

[via Fubiz]

Combining robotics, Japanimation and caffeination, the Coca-Cola vending machine robot is the perfect embodiment of all things geeky. If regular Coke is too sugary for your taste, there’s also a black Coca-Cola Zero robot waiting for you.

Each desktop toy measures about 11-inches tall and features bendy arms so you can pose your Coke-bot for world domination. Did I happen to mention that they both have a little coin slot into which you can save your Yen? And they make sounds and light up when you make a deposit too. What’s not to like?

I found these super-rare Japanese imports over from seller boss61 over on eBay, so you better head on over there fast if you want to get your hands on them. I’m sure I’ll get outbid by one of you guys.