Japanese Vending Machines Dispense Microscopic Slides
Natura Technicolor created toys that aim to inspire kids to learn about science
Typical vending machines usually dispense things like soda, chips, candy, small toys, and the like. A Japanese company called Nature Technicolor has created a different kind of vending machine toy – a stack of histological slides that feature cross sections of microscopic life.
The slides come in eight different varieties, ranging from plant tissue and pollen to human tissue, bacteria, and viruses. Each stack consists of ten sheets that are held together by a single metal ring.
The vending machine toys aim to inspire children to learn. The sheets of microscope slides resemble those that students encounter in books or videos and even prepare by themselves as part of their science lab class in school.
The slides were developed in collaboration with maker of educational models and equipment Kyoto Kagaku, and were released in July. Word about the unique vending machine toys spread on Twitter, with young people tweeting photos of the slides. Some users also seem to be collecting all the available varieties and tweeting for help in finding where else the slides are available.
The unique vending machine toy helps bring the world of science into children’s everyday lives instead of just having them limited to the school lab or in their science books.
Nature Technicolor develops a variety of nature-related products, including such things as toy lizards and frogs, cats and rabbits, plants, fruits and vegetables, sea creatures, and more. The company also has products related to human biology, such as a model of the human head featuring the muscular system or the vascular system, as well as similar models of the brain, heart, and the ear. The company’s products seem to be geared towards educating kids, as each product comes with a short description that includes scientific names when applicable.