The machine can scan fruit and vegetable products, measure the weight and calculate the cost of the item and display it to the customer
Emirati shoppers will be able to save valuable time they would have spent queuing in the weighing area of the supermarket. Four university students have developed a smart weighing system that customers can use, especially in the fruit and vegetable section, to self-serve and reduce queue times.
The Smart Scale system was developed by Sarah Al Habsi, Sarah Al Kaabi, Noura Al Ameri and Adhari Al Ahbabi, all students of the University of the Emirates Faculty of Information Technology. The scale can scan fruit and vegetable products, measure the weight and calculate the cost of the item. It then tells shoppers how much they have to pay for the item at the counter.
Al Kaabi, one of the students, explained that customers select the items they want to buy, which are included in the outlet’s merchandising system, and then put the items in clear plastic bags.
“The smart device instantly takes a photo of the bag with the camera and then identifies what is being purchased,” she said.
“The system then calculates the cost of the product using the price and weight saved in the database. It then displays the item name, weight and price on the screen and asks the customer to confirm printing a price tag and placing it on the plastic cover.”
According to Al Kaabi, the goal of the project is to provide a smart weighing system for fruits and vegetables using deep learning. “Smart devices can be used by point-of-sale outlets such as supermarkets that want to implement a self-service system but cannot afford expensive technology,” she said.
Al Habsi said that we live in an era that requires a faster and more efficient way of life. “We’ve seen a major shift in in-store or brick-and-mortar purchases as they’ve gone online, and organizations are being forced to adjust their digital transformation strategies,” she said.
“However, most consumers still prefer to shop in-store or outlet stores. To provide a smooth buying experience, a self-service system was introduced.”
Talking about some of the challenges they faced while using the system, Adhari Al Ahbabi said they had to ensure the accuracy of the system’s operation, adding that they also had difficulty reading the numbers on the scales that highlighted the weight of fruits and vegetables for export.
“After several attempts, the GUI successfully read the numbers, but in the wrong order, which led us to redo the process until it worked.”
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