STV418: DEVELOPMENT OF SMART DETERGENT VENDING MACHINE USING IOT

Ng Jing Mei Universiti Malaysia Perlis

This project aims to develop a smart detergent vending machine to overcome the shortcomings of ordinary vending machines. The system will use an ESP32 microcontroller to control the ultrasonic sensor, RFID module reader, and relay module, then transfer all data collected to the Blynk IoT app. Key benefits are optimized inventory control and enhanced user experience by introducing real-time tracking and integration with secure cashless payment platforms. This means that detergent levels must be specifically measured via ultrasonic sensors, making the process fully automated. The ambitious goal is to use RFID readers for payments. This could enable secure cashless payments, benefiting the users. The 20×4 LCD display provides users with options, and users can choose their needs through the 4x4 matrix keypad. These make the system more usable for operators while ensuring free transactions in the system. When connected to the Blynk app, owners can extend many features to their computer, where the owner can monitor its status. Through Blynk, owners can monitor data such as detergent level and transaction history through the Internet using a mobile phone. This monitoring system also assures an efficient replenishment and access to the operation log of the machine. The smart detergent vending machine developed in this project can be extended to other fields in terms of resource tracking and management.