Shop-Up

Inspiration

Shopping can be a frustrating experience for the visually impaired, the elderly, and those with mobility challenges. Many rely on store staff for assistance, but support is often limited, leading to long wait times. Research reveals that visually impaired individuals struggle with reading product labels, locating items, and navigating aisles. We aimed to create an innovative solution that enhances accessibility and independence in grocery shopping by integrating smart add-ons into existing shopping carts.

What it does

Shop-Up involves a series of upgrade devices that can be fitted to existing shopping carts to enhance accessibility. It is designed to assist visually or physically impaired individuals to navigate grocery stores, making the shopping experience more independent and efficient.

Shop-Up includes several physical hardware and software components. The trolley is equipped with:

Sensors: to detect obstacles and ensure safe navigation
Motors: controlled via a wireless system for smooth movement
Haptic Feedback System: in the handle to alert users about nearby objects
Barcode Scanner: for product identification
The Shop-Up Mobile App: that syncs with the trolley to guide users through the store based on their shopping list and product locations
Weight Detection System: to prevent overloading of the cart
Emergency Alert System: to notify store staff when needed

How we built it

The models for the physical add-ons were created using CAD. The android mobile app was created using Android Studio with Java.

Challenges we ran into

Identifying the problems that disabled people might face in a shopping context and brainstorming an effective solution for them took time. Developing and testing the mobile app and rendering the models for the trolley and our additions was also quite challenging and time-consuming.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of the fact that the team made significant progress in a short period of time.

What we learned

We learned a lot through our research on accessibility issues and discovered existing solutions, which helped us design our prototype. Our team is comprised of two computer science students and two engineering students, so the development of the project involved learning a lot from each other - and finding innovative ways to integrate our disciplines.