SMART REFRIGERATOR SYSTEM

MOTIVATION: 

This project was conceptualized as a part of the annual Makeathon sustainability challenge held at NC state university. Our team decided to tackle the issues of food wastage in the university.

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IDEATION PROCESS:

Based on our experience of working as food service workers, we were able to identify the major issues with the existing workflow at restaurants in the university.

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On discussion, we came to the conclusion that a redesign of the refrigerator system is required as it is the major source of food waste generation. The major issue with the existing setup was the lack of organization in the was stored food is accessed by workers. Another difficulty faced by the staff was checking the expiry date associated with a food item quickly. 

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SOLUTION:

To tackle this issue, we came up with 2 ideas to integrate into the new concept. The first was the usage of LED bulbs to indicate the freshness level of food. The goal was to scan the QR code of the food item into a reader mounted on the storage container. The second idea was the creation of a conveyor belt system. The color changing LED concept was integrated through an app executed through Arduino chipset.   

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On the supply-demand front, we proposed a discount based system for students to drive up demand. This would help students save some money on their meals and also help reduce food wastage and revenue loss to the university.  

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