SOLUTION BRIEF Intel® Atom™ Processor Intel® Core™ i5 Processor Smart Vending System Dispensing Higher Profits Through Smart Technology New machines do more than sell snacks Solution Summary This solution study describes the Vending systems are going high tech, innovative Hubbo vending system and the with built-in digital signage, interactive Intel technology that makes it smart. touch-screen kiosks, remote management capabilities, real-time inventory monitoring Traditional vending machines have and ordering, and even cashless payment their limits mechanisms. These customizable and The attraction of vending machines is engaging machines proactively market their ability to provide a low-overhead their contents to passers-by, while sales outlet in places where it may not delivering actionable business intelligence be cost-effective to operate a traditional to their operators in real time. retail store. By design, traditional vending Unlike the traditional, low-tech drink and machines are decidedly low-tech and snack machines that reside in break rooms, low-cost operations. Marketing is minimal, corridors and warehouses, these smart using only the machine itself to attract systems actively promote and sell a wide would-be customers. The machines are variety products to would-be customers. deployed where traffic and demand The Hubbo* vending system developed by are assumed to be present, and then “The concept of Hubbo is to Promate Technology Inc.* has been used operators hope for the best. to sell food, drinks, keepsakes/souvenirs, But these machines can be quite costly break the misconception that makeup and other beauty products. Even to operate. These unsecured systems fresh food is an option with such a smart only drinks and snacks can be are often unmonitored and subject to system because the inventory can be sold from a vending machine,.” closely monitored and tracked remotely to vandalism and theft. They only accept ensure safety to consumers. bills and coins for payment, which limits – Chaue Shen, the products they can sell to low-price Manager, Technical Project Management The Hubbo system enables vending items. And someone must look after Promate Technology Inc. operators, advertisers and product them frequently – both for operating distributors to experiment with innovative maintenance and inventory stocking – by marketing and vending technologies with visiting the machine in person. little capital risk. One such concept is the “tryvertising” (try-advertising) solution that lets marketers use the machine to distribute samples of new products or promotional items and determine customer interest. The integrated digital signage display engages passers-by while the interactive kiosk gathers contact information and user feedback. “To date, we have sold food The on-site visits add greatly to the resemblance to their predecessors. Smart operating cost. In addition to routine vending machines overcome the limitations and beverages – including re-stocking, unscheduled visits must be of traditional vending solutions with: made to repair malfunctioning payment fresh items – makeup and • Interactive software and full motion and dispensing mechanisms, address graphics – To engage customers in beauty products, and even vandalism, and so forth. What’s more, new ways, multi-media displays and there is no way for an operator to know keepsakes and souvenirs,” eye-catching ads draw the attention if a sudden increase in traffic results of passers-by. When prompted by the in a machine running out of inventory – Chaue Shen, customer, information that may not be well before the normal restocking time, Manager, Technical Project Management visible on the front label of a product Promate Technology Inc. leading to lost sales opportunities. All of can be displayed on the nearby screen. these issues drive up TCO and reduce the And depending on the item purchased, potential profits of any vending business. the machine can be programmed to suggest and direct the customer to A smarter vending business model related companion products. In contrast, new smart vending systems face fewer of these limitations. In fact, • Integrated intelligence and remote other than the fact that they are stand- manageability – Security, inventory alone dispensing systems, they bear little management and maintenance are no longer an issue with the ability to monitor and diagnose system operations from a remote location. For example, cashless payment can be used and transactions processed in real time. The machine’s inventory can be monitored remotely and restocking can be dynamically scheduled. New advertisements and marketing campaigns can be deployed remotely, reducing labor costs and time to deployment. Machine malfunctions can be immediately reported to maintenance staff to reduce downtime and improve service to customers. The Hubbo Vending System “The concept of Hubbo is to break the misconception that only drinks and snacks can be sold from a vending machine,” said Chaue Shen, Manager, Technical Project Management at Promate Technology Inc. “It moves traditional vending into a more sophisticated environment and aims to change the way people look at vending machines.” Hubbo combines a digital signage display, an interactive kiosk and a cashless, smart vending machine that gives businesses privacy concerns) are stored so that he/ she cannot receive a second sample until the inventory has changed,” explains Shen. “We foresee the use of this facial recognition technology for services similar to a rewards card so that familiar users can be proactively recognized when they approach the machine and be greeted with a customized message or purchase suggestion based on previous experience.” The innovative and engaging experience of the Hubbo system delights would- be customers and vending businesses alike. It’s also attractive to the venue owners who contract for the floor space and electrical connection that powers the system. “The projected, tablet-like touch-screen display satisfies customer appetites for interactive and delightful technology experiences,” observes Shen. The system itself includes multiple components all integrated into a single device. Features include: • Custom-designed kiosk and digital billboard • 7” projected capacitive touch screen, powered by an Intel® Atom™ processor- based board for vending machine control • 17” touch screen powered by an Intel Atom processor-based board for interaction with the kiosk a three-pronged approach to engaging The company is also using Hubbo to try • 42” audio/video display powered by an potential customers. With touch-screen alternative dispensing strategies and Intel® Core™ i5 processor-based board interaction, multimedia advertising, non-traditional vending business models. for digital signage and reliable transaction and dispensing “One of our current models is to use • Security camera mechanisms, this system is both fun for Hubbo to enable a ‘tryvertising’ (try- customers to use and more powerful for advertising) concept where operators use • Voice/Video over IP for connection to a the operator. the machine for sampling,” explains Shen. remote customer service operator The high-definition 42” display attracts • Ethernet data connectivity Promate is using the Hubbo system to passers-by to the opportunity. If desired, • Facial recognition technology explore new vending business models. The the integrated kiosk can be used to gather slot size flexibility and cashless payment • RFID EasyCard* cashless payment contact information or get user feedback. system enables operators to experiment machine with the price point and types of products “In the tryvertising system we utilize • Telemetry for remote measurement and being sold. “To date, we have sold food facial recognition to prevent users from reporting of data and beverages – including fresh items – receiving multiple samples of products. • Resizable product slots (up to triple- makeup and beauty products, and even When a customer receives a sample, his/ width slots) keepsakes and souvenirs,” says Shen. her facial features (not full image due to • Thermal printer for customer receipts Intel Technology Makes it Smart architecture “it’s easier to integrate Earlier versions of Promate’s vending technology from multiple sources,” says machines used a different processing Shen. Intel architecture supports a wide architecture to power their payment variety of programming architectures system, digital signage and interactive and languages and makes available many kiosk. But they recently switched to Intel different relevant drivers. Because all Intel architecture because multiple processor processors use the same architecture, this choices offered the optimum combination integration is made easier even when using of processing performance in a low power multiple different chips within the same envelope. Low heat generation and system, such as the Hubbo smart vending low power consumption are important machine. In addition, “the raw processing to vending system manufacturers and power of the Intel processors is well-suited operators, and the Intel Atom processor for use in this type of application.” was selected for key parts of the Hubbo What’s more, the Intel Core i5 processor system specifically because it provided has Intel® Active Management Technology the necessary performance within a low built in that enables remote manageability thermal envelope at the lowest possible of the system. This feature is quite valuable power consumption. to vending operators who