UAE: Students create self-service smart scale for supermarket shoppers

UAE shoppers will be able to save precious time they spend in supermarkets queuing up in the weighing area. Four university students have developed a smart weighing scale system that customers can use, especially in the fruits and vegetable section, to serve themselves and reduce time spent in queues.

The smart-scale system was developed by Sarah Al Habsi, Sarah Al Kaabi, Noura Al Ameri and Adhari Al Ahbabi, all students at the College of Information Technology at UAE University. This scale can scan the fruits and vegetable products, measure the weight and calculate the cost of the items. It then informs the shopper the amount of money they have to pay for the items at the counter.

One the students, Al Kaabi, explained that the customer selects the items they want to buy, which are included in the outlet’s sales system, and puts the products in a transparent plastic bags.

“The smart device immediately takes a picture of the bag through a camera and then identifies what has been purchased,” she said.

“The system then calculates the cost of the product using the price saved in the database and the weighs. It then displays the name of the item, the weight and price on the screen, and asks the customer for confirmation to print the price tag and place it on the plastic cover.”

Al Kaabi said out that the aim of the project is to provide a smart scale system for fruits and vegetables using deep learning. “The smart device can be used by sales outlets such as supermarkets that wish to implement a self-service system but cannot afford expensive technologies,” she said.

Al Habsi said we live in an era that requires a faster and more efficient lifestyle. “We have seen a significant change in in-store or physical purchases as they have become online and organisations are being pushed to adjust their digital transformation strategies,” she said.

“However, in-store or outlet shopping is still preferred by a majority of consumers. And to provide a smooth buying experience, self-service systems have been introduced.”

Talking about some of the challenges they faced working on the system, Adhari Al Ahbabi said they had to make sure of the accuracy of the system’s operation, adding that they also faced difficulties in reading the scale numbers that highlight the weight of fruits and vegetables at the outlet.

“After many attempts, the graphical user interface succeeded in reading the numbers, but not in order, which made us re-do the process until it succeeded.”