IoT-based Conversational Solar Vending Machine

Abstract. In vending machine retail settings, there are major challenges it encounters: lack of real-time monitoring capabilities, continuous electricity consumption, and a lack of human interaction. To address this, the researchers developed an IoT-based vending machine with solar panels and conversational AI assistance that allows real-time monitoring of stocks of the vending machine that allows the operator to manage the vending machine online and even gets notified once a certain product is almost out of stock, solar panels and voice recognition command are also implemented. By implementing these, the systems utilize a more sustainable alternative energy source as opposed to traditional energy sources and also provides a way for the customer to interact with the vending machine system. The IoT was evaluated with the ISO/IEC 25010:2023 standards, focusing on Functional Suitability, Performance Efficiency, Interaction Capability, Reliability, and Maintainability. The results show a favorable score of 4.86 in Functional Suitability, 4.86 in Performance Efficiency, 4.95 in Interaction Capability, 4.83 in Reliability, and 4.70 in Maintainability. These results show that the IoT developed for monitoring the vending machine was dependable and highly favorable. By developing an IoT-based vending machine with solar panels and conversational AI assistance, the system provided a significant advancement in automated retail settings.