A customized vending machine in Los Angeles and New York allows passersby to test their telekinesis abilities as part of an activation for Fox’s The Gifted.
With a simple wave of their hands, fans are able to lift the machine off the ground. They can then fine-tune precise hand motions to dispense items such as gift cards and water bottles to iPads and Beagle tracking devices—before receiving a shareable video showcasing their new ‘mutant skills.’
The Gifted “Unleash Your Power” Telekinesis X-Perience was at The Grove in Los Angeles over the weekend where cast members, including stars Stephen Moyer, Amy Acker and Natalie Alyn Lind, made an appearance. The machine popped up in Times Square on Monday, and will be at New York Comic-Con October 5 - 8.
The Gifted stars Moyer (Shots Fired, True Blood) and Acker (Person of Interest) as a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by a sudden discovery as their daughter Lauren Strucker (Lind) introduces her younger brother Andy (Percy Hynes White) to their mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive.
Using gesture-based technology, the marketing activation for the family adventure X-Men spinoff series plays into a campaign that encourages users to discover and test their X-gene powers. It follows a San Diego Comic Con stunt, initially launched at Fox’s upfront, that includes a free genealogy test as part of of an activation that tested fans for the X-Gene, and offered them a piece of their own unique ethnic origins in the process.
Nearly 2,000 Comic-Con participants completed a cheek swab and about six weeks later received a personal genic profile through MyHeritage—a $100 value.

RELATED: Fox Gives Away Genealogy Test for ‘The Gifted’ at Comic Con
Fox has been launching The X-Gene Screening Station around the country, including in Philadelphia over the weekend, Washington D.C. on Monday, and upcoming activations in Cleveland on Wednesday September 27; Chicago on Saturday, September 30; and St. Louis on Sunday, October 1.
The activations lead up to the premiere of The Gifted on October 2.
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