Contactless Smoothie Vending With Carousel Pre-Order Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current vending machines and smoothie machines are limited in their ability to combine food and beverage preparation with precision and variety, often requiring human intervention and struggling to maintain consistency and safety, especially in producing multiple flavors of smoothies.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based contactless vending machine system that integrates a smoothie mixing and dispensing assembly with a cooling system using a Peltier element, a meal planning application with an AI module, an automated straw dispenser, and a pre-order holder with a carousel, allowing for precise and varied smoothie preparation and dispensation through IoT technology and mobile app ordering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional vending machines and smoothie machines are used separately, then each machine can perform its basic function, but the system requires more space, higher cost, and cannot combine the advantages of both machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a vending machine and smoothie machine into a single integrated system. The vending machine portion stores and dispenses ingredients, while the smoothie machine portion mixes and dispenses smoothies. This merging eliminates the need for two separate machines, reducing space requirements while providing the versatility of both functions in one unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system performs multiple functions: storing ingredients, preparing food items, mixing smoothies, and dispensing both food and beverages. The system uses a single touchscreen interface and control system to manage all operations, making one machine serve the purposes of what would traditionally require multiple separate machines.
2Manufacturing precision
If human-mediated preparation is used, then flexibility in meal preparation is available, but precision and accuracy are reduced due to human variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically measures, portions, and prepares ingredients without human intervention. The control system receives customer orders through the touchscreen interface and automatically dispenses the correct amounts of ingredients from the vending machine portions into the smoothie maker, ensuring consistent precision in every preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors and control systems to monitor ingredient levels, mixing parameters, and dispensing operations. The touchscreen interface provides real-time feedback to customers about their orders and system status, while the control system adjusts operations automatically to maintain precision in ingredient measurement and smoothie preparation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If smoothie machines are used, then smoothie preparation is possible, but it is difficult to maintain constant mixing and produce multiple flavors
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to different smoothie flavors and recipes through the touchscreen interface. Customers can select from multiple flavor options, and the control system automatically adjusts the mixing parameters, ingredient combinations, and dispensing sequences to match the selected recipe, making it easy to produce various flavors while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments different smoothie flavors into distinct recipes stored in the control system. Each flavor has its own ingredient combination and mixing parameters, allowing the machine to easily switch between flavors by loading the appropriate recipe data, thus providing variety without complicating the operation for the user.
4Reliability
If conventional vending machines are used, then food dispensing is possible, but safety concerns and lack of contactless operation exist
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual food handling and cash transactions with automated electronic controls and contactless payment processing. The touchscreen interface and integrated payment system eliminate the need for physical contact between customers and operators, while the automated ingredient dispensing ensures consistent hygiene standards and reduces contamination risks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances precision, accuracy, and safety in smoothie preparation and dispensation, offering a wide range of options while conserving space and reducing costs, and provides a seamless user experience through AI-driven meal planning and automated processes.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling assembly having a peltier element
Data Source
AI summary
A vending machine having a smoothie mixing and dispensing assembly, a cooling assembly having a peltier element, and a pre-order holder having a carousel. A mobile device has an ordering app thereon. A server connects with the vending machine over a network, the server having memory for storing computer instructions and a processor for executing the computer instructions, the computer instructions including instructions for implementing a meal planning application with an artificial intelligence module for planning meals. The mobile device communicates an order to the vending machine to activate the smoothie mixing and dispensing assembly to prepare a smoothie for storing in the pre-order holder.