Internet of Things Based Smart Vending Machine using Digital Payment System

Authors

Wahidul Alam
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, Bangladesh
Dhiman Sarma
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Rangamati Science and Technology University, Rangamati,
Rana Joyti Chakma
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Rangamati Science and Technology University, Rangamati,
Mohammad Jahangir Alam
Department of Computer Science and IT, Southern University Bangladesh, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Sohrab Hossain
Department of Computer Science & Engineering, East Delta University, Chittagong, Bangladesh
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52549/.v9i3.3133
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Published: 31-08-2021 • Issue: Vol. 9 No. 3: September 2021 • Section: Computer_&_Informatics

Abstract

The advent of the Internet envisions a cashless society by enabling financial transactions through digital payments. Significantly, the emergence of coronavirus (COVID-19) disrupted our traditional cash handling means and triggered an inflection point for switching towards contactless digital payments from physical cash payments. Furthermore, Internet of Things (IoT) technology escalates digital payments to the next level by enabling devices to render goods and services without requiring any human interaction. This research proposed an IoT-enabled cashless vending machine that incorporates both cloud computing and payment gateway for ordering and purchasing items through digital payment systems by using a mobile application. The system enables a pre-installed mobile application to scan the Quick Response (QR) code attached to the body of a vending machine, opens the portal of a web-based virtual machine through the code, allows user to choose and order items from the virtual vending, initiates and authorizes a digital payment through an IoT gateway installed inside the physical vending machine by establishing a connection between user's and vendor's financial entities, and finally, dispenses the ordered items by unlocking the shelves of the vending machine after the successful payment transaction. It operates in the Arduino platform with an ATmega 2560 Microcontroller and Esp8266 Wi-fi module as hardware components, mobile application software, and payment gateway API. The system performed an average response time of 14500 milliseconds to pick a product after running 150 consecutive API test calls. This result shows a satisfying time for enhancing customers' buying experiences with digital payment systems and a customizable and cost-effective IoT-based intelligent vending machine to introduce for mass production.
Keywords: IoT; Internet of Things; Vending Machine; Cloud Computing; Digital Payment; Mobile Application

Author Biographies

Wahidul Alam

Wahidul Alam received his MSc in Advance Computing with Full Funded Chinese Govt. Scholarship from the Tsinghua University, Beijing, China 2018.  He is a Senior Lecturer & Program Coordinator at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Science & Technology Chittagong. His research interests include Internet of Things, Machine Learning and Blockchain.

Dhiman Sarma
Dhiman Sarma is presently the Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Rangamati Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. He received his MSc in Information and Communication Systems Security (ICSS) from the Royal Institute of Technology [KTH], Stockholm, Sweden. He is a PhD fellow at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. His research interests span across Cyber Security, Machine Learning, Sentiment Analysis and IoT.
Rana Joyti Chakma

Rana Jyoti Chakma is an Associate Professor in the Dept of Computer Science and Engineering at Rangamati Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. He obtained his Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, with a scholarship from the Australian Govt. He has more than 26 years of working experience both in industry and tertiary education. He has teaching experience in New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh. His research interest includes AI. ML and IoT. He authored two textbooks in ICT and published numerous articles in various journals and magazines.

Mohammad Jahangir Alam

Mohammad Jahangir Alam completed post graduation (MSc in CSIT) in 2008 from Southern University Bangladesh, Chittagong. He is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator at the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology in Southern University Bangladesh, Chittagong. He has published more than 22 technical research papers in reputed national, international journals and conferences. His research interests include Cloud Computing, Mobile apps design, Health Informatics, Bid Data analytics among many other fields.

Sohrab Hossain
Sohrab Hossain received his MSc in Data Warehousing and Data Mining with Merit from the University of Greenwich, London, UK in 2008. Currently, he is a PhD fellow at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. He has published more than 20 technical research papers in reputed national, international journals and conferences. His research interests include Natural Language Processing, Sentiment Analysis, and Medical Sentiment Analysis.

How to Cite

[1]
W. Alam, D. Sarma, R. Joyti Chakma, M. J. Alam, and S. Hossain, “Internet of Things Based Smart Vending Machine using Digital Payment System”, IJEEI, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 719–731, Aug. 2021, doi: 10.52549/.v9i3.3133.