Google-powered beer fridge translates thirst in 40 languages
Better brush up on your language skills... they might just get you a free drink. Google and Thinking Box have teamed up to create Molson's Global Beer Fridge, an appliance that depends on Google's real-time voice translation to serve cool refreshments. The refrigerator only opens once it detects people saying "I am Canadian" (Molson's classic slogan) in six of 40 languages, ranging from French to Hindi to Mandarin. That's ostensibly a nod to both Canada's cultural diversity as well as the country's July 1st birthday, although it conveniently guarantees a crowd for this not-so-subtle publicity stunt. It's not often that you see this much sophistication in a sales ploy, mind you, and it's clear that the underlying technology could be useful in everyday vending machines. Just be ready to book a trip if you're hoping to score some brews -- the fridge makes its next appearance in Toronto on July 10th, when the Pan Am Games start.
