Sponsored By
Efika 5200B Project
A smart shopping console for trolly in supermarketin category Applications & Software
proposed by noah.yan on 30th January 2006 (accepted on 11th February 2006)
Project Summary
The original idea is posted power.org forum and here I copy the text in below.To develop such an console, I planned to start software parts, and leave the touch screen console until I have the software functionalities ready. Here is a temporary plan:
1. Boot EFIKA board over USB flash drive, and setup (USB) wireless network for the board.
2. Setup and develop a server database to store products catelog. The server should able to communicate with the EFIKA board.
3. Find some big supermarket (like Walmart) to support and help for the application design and development. Gather some products data and other requirements. (also marking it :))
4. Develop the application both in EFIKA console and server.
5. Test the application, both in the console and server part.
6. Development the console case, HMI (touch screen) interface, which my wife is expert at it.
The idea copied from power.org
When enter into the Wal-mart super store to buy your everyday needs, you are given a shopping cart to help you shooping. The shopping cart have a touch-screen console installed that is developed from EFIKA board.
From the console, you can easily find the location of the products you want, you donot need to look for a person who wears blue shirt with \"How May I Help You?\" printed on it. Of course, for Wal-mart, they do not need to hire so many empolyee to wear such shirt.
If you do not know the price of a product (or just do not believe the number on the price tag) , the console that has a bar code scanner will help to confirm. Again, you do not need to look for the blue-shirt guys. There will be no superise about the price that is different from what you think of when check out. (I often use the wrong price tag for a product that have many similar products around it).
Another cool thing is that you can check out from the console. You scan in your product when you take it from the shelves and the price are added together. You make the payment when you finish the shopping. The console accepts payment by credit card or debit card. Now you do not need to wait in the check-out line. (if you pay by cash or check, you may still need to wait in line.) But for this feature, one serious issue that I did not find a decent solution yet is how to prevent the forget-to-pay or forget-to-scan mistakes made by customers. One temporary solution is that the cart is divided into two adjustable sections, one for shopping use and another for check out which is closed. All the products are magnetized and only the de-magnetized product can be put in the checkp-out section(a red-light should be on if some product in this section is not de-magnetized). The de-magnetization can only be done by scan in. This solution is not a perfect one. So this feature may be turned off. do you have other solutions?
Is it cool? Wal-mart can put lots of ads, special promition and other services, such as credit card application on the console, games for kids, etc. It is like an online stores but the customers have personal access to all the products. You can come up lots of things that you want on it.
The console is developed using EFIKA powered by battery (the low-power feature). It uses USB flash drive to store OS and the applications and it should be configured to be bootable from the usb. The EFIKA board itself is High Reliability, so we do not choose mechanical harddisk because the cart is always moving and mechanical motion may be more easily cause the console failure. The cart will be used (posibbly both indoor and outdoor) in the wal-mart stores cross the world of different weathers, so it must be low-temperature, just as what EFIKA has.
When the console is powered on and boot up, the console should connect a server via wireless to update product catalog. Of course, the server must push product update onto the console when there are changes.
How do you like it?
Noah Yan
Just 3-4 times randomly check every 10 times is a simply good idea, requiring no special addition to the products and trolly for the console to work. If in the profile, a person \"forgot\" to pay some item last time, he will be checked this time. Also first time customers will be checked. Here in some superstores (like Randales or Krogers), customers normally have membership card that will be checked upon checkout, this way a profile is loaded.
The trolly I proposed for checkout (for the best assumption) works in this way if using your idea: Each customer will have a membership card. He/she must slide his card in the console so that the system will load his/her profile. When the customer finishes shoping, makes payments and returns the console, the clerk will check the system whether she needs go to special checks.
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