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If a vending machine can reward consumers with ice cream when they smile, then why shouldn’t one be able to recommend recipes based on their facial features? That, in fact, is precisely the premise behind the Next Generation Meal Planning Solution (PDF link), a kiosk that was debuted recently at the National Retail Federation Convention in New York City. Developed through a partnership between Kraft Foods and Intel, the meal planning kiosk taps a technology Intel calls Anonymous Video Analytics, which makes it possible for the kiosk to determine not only how many people are standing in front of it at any given time but also their gender and age. Based on that information as well as factors such as the time of day, the kiosk can then tempt them with customized recipes and help them plan meals with directions to relevant in-store products. The kiosk is integrated with Kraft’s iFood Assistant application for smartphones, making it easy to add recipes and shopping lists in real time via a 2D barcode scanner; it can also be tied into the retailer’s POS and loyalty card program and samples can be delivered through the kiosk’s vending capabilities. There’s no end in sight to the ways machines can interact with consumers — and the way marketers can put those new capabilities to use. One to be inspired by! (Related: iPhone app delivers nutrition analysis of supermarket foods — Vending machine rewards mental agility.) Spotted by: Jim Stewart