Customers hate waiting at self-checkouts. I built a wireless wearable that vibrates when a checkout light turns red. It uses light sensors to "see" the alarm, requires no Wi-Fi, and costs under €10. This allows IKEA staff to help customers instantly without staying glued to the machines.
Algemene beschrijving (incl. samenvatting van onderstaande vier punten)
This project solves a common retail problem: the "blind spot" at self-checkouts. When a customer needs help, a red light turns on, but staff often miss it if they are restocking or helping elsewhere.
Beschrijf welke uitdagingen en risico's er met dit ict-project zijn overwonnen
The biggest challenge was corporate IT security. I could not connect to IKEA’s internal Wi-Fi or access their software API because of strict security rules.
The Solution: I used an "air-gapped" approach. I used a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) to physically detect the light turning on, rather than reading digital data. I also used the ESP-NOW protocol for direct device-to-device communication. This meant the system worked perfectly without touching IKEA’s sensitive network or requiring security clearance.
Beschrijf de gerealiseerde toegevoegde waarde voor de interne of externe klant
For IKEA Staff (Internal): Employees are no longer "tethered" to the checkout area. They have the freedom to multitask (restock shelves, clean, or help in the bistro) while knowing they will be alerted the second a customer needs them.
For Customers (External): The "Customer Happiness Score" is protected because wait times are drastically reduced. Customers get help faster during errors or random checks, creating a smoother shopping experience.
Beschrijf de originaliteit en/of innovatieve kracht van/in het ict-project
The innovation is frugality and simplicity. Instead of a multi-million euro corporate software update, this solution makes "dumb" legacy hardware smart using less than €10 of components. It proves that you don't need complex cloud integrations to solve physical problems. It creates a "Digital Twin" event from a physical light bulb efficiently.
Beschrijf de kracht van de interne of externe leverancier
The strength of this project is agile prototyping. As a student developer, I moved from identifying the problem to testing a working physical prototype in a few weeks—something that might take a large corporate IT department months to approve. The solution is modular, runs on simple power banks, and is scalable immediately.