Intel's reference design for intelligent vending systems was unveiled to the public at Venditalia, the most important international event for the vending sector, held in Milan (Fieramilanocity) from May 7 to 10.
Intel's Vision for the Future of Vending:
The vending machine industry is undergoing a digital revolution as it embraces the trend of internet-connected devices to attract and serve more customers. Smarter vending machines allow consumers to enjoy more personalized, interactive, and engaging experiences, while offering operators and brands the ability to leverage cloud services and data analytics, resulting in lower operating costs and the implementation of new and innovative business models in the vending sector. Intel
architecture can bring technological advancements to vending machines, providing them with a more flexible design environment. By using Intel architectures, developers will have a platform compatible with the most widely adopted development environments. This, in turn, will allow machines to offer more efficient management systems and integrate vending innovations such as touchscreens, network connectivity, and mobile or NFC-based payment systems.
Advantages of the New Reference Design:
Intel's reference design for intelligent vending systems represents a flexible and scalable solution for developing or redesigning traditional vending machines, transforming them into high-performance computing systems with internet connectivity. Most systems currently on the market are designed around VMCs (Vending Machine Controllers), specific controllers for vending machines that manage multiple basic and independent subsystems such as payment control, refrigeration, lighting, and cash and product management. Because they are based on low-performance microcontrollers, most VMCs do not guarantee the levels of processing power, connectivity, security, ease of management, and software flexibility required by the latest generations of vending platforms, equipped with interactive touchscreens and flexible payment methods.
Intel's reference design for intelligent vending systems addresses this problem by incorporating an integrated hardware and software solution that transfers the functionality of VMCs to an Intel® processor. Thus, Intel's architecture ensures the availability of Ethernet and wireless connectivity and provides access to the processing power needed to deliver these booming services. Vending machine manufacturers can choose from a variety of Intel® Core™ vPro™ and Intel® Atom™ processors, all running the same code (i.e., backward compatible), and supported by a broad and established ecosystem of independent software vendors (ISVs).
Intel's new technology also incorporates I/O interface models. Current vending machines rely on a wide variety of bus protocols that control communication between the VMCs and various devices, such as lighting controls. Intel's reference design for intelligent vending systems includes a Vending Machine I/O Board (VMI) compatible with all these I/O interfaces and many more. Finally, it offers a comprehensive software ecosystem, including an operating system, programming interfaces (APIs) for the devices, and a variety of applications.
Intel's reference design for intelligent vending systems has already been adopted by several leading manufacturers in the sector, including Advantech*, Cantaloupe*, Ingenico* and SAP*, who are currently developing innovative prototypes and products based on this new platform.
The first prototypes based on the new Intel platform
• Advantech: As a Premier Partner of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, Advantech offers a wide range of industrial hardware solutions, from standard products to fully customized designs, covering all the needs of vending machine manufacturers. All Advantech products allow for the integration of Intel's reference design for smart vending systems, as well as Advantech SUSIAccess. The resulting solution gives vending machine manufacturers the flexibility to develop their own vending platforms.
• SAP: The main challenge of operating an entire fleet of vending machines or other merchandising equipment is that the operator has little to no information about the status and inventory levels of their systems, resulting in inefficient restocking and servicing, which translates into lost revenue. SAP* and Intel have joined forces to offer a comprehensive solution that significantly reduces machine operating costs and increases revenue through new marketing and business models that use the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect, monitor, and operate vending machines in real time. This solution, which runs on Intel® processors, enables more efficient restocking, real-time system status monitoring (temperature, power consumption, sales, etc.), maintenance incident reporting, theft detection, and face-to-face marketing for customers through initiatives such as mobile payment systems, digital coupons, and loyalty programs.
• Promate Solutions: Promate Solutions is dedicated to bringing customers' product visions to life. Critica, our unique interactive platform, offers M2M (machine-to-machine) services that connect sales and marketing with operations via real-time remote information. This connectivity allows for a reduction in total cost of ownership by lowering operating costs and boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. The integration of Intel's reference design for smart vending systems makes this process simpler and more flexible.
• Ingenico: Ingenico is pleased to confirm the seamless integration of its iUC180B product with Intel's innovative reference design for smart vending systems. Thanks to the Ingenico Payment Communication Layer, integrating the iSelf Series with this new platform has been very straightforward. The iSelf Series offers all existing cashless payment methods, ensuring the security of all vending machines quickly and easily. Its user-friendly interface provides an excellent user experience for consumers. All modules meet the specifications of the EVA (European Vending Association) standard. The latest security technologies integrated into these modules facilitate the work of integrators and vending machine maintenance companies.
• Cantaloupe Systems Inc: Cantaloupe Systems Inc. has actively collaborated with Intel over the past three years. Its Seed Cloud Products (its comprehensive vending solution for web and mobile devices) can be natively integrated into Intel's reference design for smart vending systems. Cantaloupe Systems pioneered dynamic planning and merchandising technologies in the vending industry. Today, the average customer can achieve up to five times the industry average profit simply by implementing Cantaloupe Suite products.
An Italian Startup Wins the Intelligent Vending Competition.
At the first edition of the “Intel Intelligent Vending Competition,” held at Venditalia 2014, Intel awarded the WIB-Warehouse in a Box project, presented by an Italian start-up, for its quality and innovation. WIB is an advanced vending machine. Thanks to its patented technologies, WIB can manage an extensive catalog of products of all kinds, allowing customers to make their selections remotely via their personal computers and then collect the products directly from the machine at their convenience. The winning team, composed of founder and CEO Nino Lo Iacono, co-founder and marketing director Marco Bicocchi Pichi, developer Francesco Patronaggio, and mobile user experience designer Andrea Picchi, was able to participate in this year's Venditalia free of charge, enabling them to present their project at the Intel booth throughout the event.
