Remote-Controlled Bluetooth-Enabled Smart Shopping Cart: Prototype and Evaluation

Abstract

In an endeavor to enhance consumer experience and streamline the shopping process, this study presents the design and evaluation of a smart shopping cart prototype, devised to replace conventional manual shopping carts. Customers traditionally utilize baskets to transport purchased goods to the cashier for payment processing. During peak shopping hours, queues often form, potentially detracting from the customer's overall shopping experience. Customers are typically obliged to stand adjacent to their baskets to maintain their position in the queue, a practice this innovation intends to eliminate. The proposed smart shopping cart employs Bluetooth HC-05 technology to facilitate remote operation, thereby enabling users to wait at a comfortable distance from their groceries. The remote control for the cart is designed to interface with Android smartphones, capitalizing on the ubiquity of these devices in customers' daily lives. The ease of connecting Bluetooth HC-05 with an Android device further simplifies the operation for users well-versed with smartphones. This study outlines the construction and testing of a smart shopping cart prototype, although it has not been directly implemented in a supermarket setting. The conducted tests are representative of the performance of a potential full-scale model. The remote control application, tailored to the specific commands required by the shopping cart, was developed using Kodular. It can be easily accessed and downloaded from the Kodular website.