Settling into the plush comfort of his vehicle cockpit, a driver surnamed Liu spoke to the sleek dashboard display: "Simo, how long before I reach home?"

"You have an hour's journey ahead," answered the onboard intelligence system supported by the large language model (LLM), an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered program that can recognize and generate multimedia text.

"Please activate the home air conditioning and close the curtains 30 minutes prior to my arrival." "Affirmative."

The intelligent vending machine market is expected to reach $63.01 billion by 2031, reflecting a staggering CAGR of 13.85% over the forecast period of 2024 – 2031, according to a report from SNS Insider.

Intelligent vending machines are characterized by features like cashless transactions, including contactless mobile payments, face and voice recognition and near-field communication (NFC). Additionally, intelligent vending machines are becoming more appealing to operators because of their ability to be remotely monitored and managed.

In the rapidly evolving field of photonics, an advancement has emerged from Korea, redefining the possibilities of structural color manipulation. Scientists have developed a pioneering technology capable of omnidirectional wavelength tuning, which promises to revolutionize a myriad of tunable photonic applications.

Following a collaboration between the Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Ceylon Business Appliances, Sri Lanka will deploy its first credit- and debit card-enabled vending machines, according to a Sunday Times report.