Zoom kiosks attract students, controversy at university

Zoom Systems, which designs and manufactures "robotic stores" that dispense everything from iPods to compact discs, recently placed several of its kiosks in the University of Kentucky Student Center.

Branded with the name Robots in Field, the machines dispense college-friendly fare like iPods and Neutrogena cosmetics and facial cleanser.

The machines have been a hit in airports, and companies from Sony to Macy's have embraced the technology. But if an editorial in the student newspaper The Kentucky Kernel is any indication, students might not be so welcoming.

Are students walking toward North Campus suddenly deciding they need some music on their walk? Have students begun losing their iPods in class and needing immediate replacements?

UK is not paying for the machines — Zoom Systems, a production company from San Jose, Calif., is — but the university should not have allowed them on campus, as they are likely to lure aspiring thieves to the Student Center.

These machines are normally placed in places like airports, according to the Kernel story. There's a crucial difference between airports and the Student Center: The former have 24-hour security, whereas the latter is practically deserted (but unlocked) in the evening.

Read the full editorial here. Click here for more coverage of Zoom Systems.