Research & Development
Although the team had the pieces of the previous semesters' works, an immense amount of research and development took place.
Kiosk Improvements
The Kiosk Sub-team was originally tasked with improving the kiosk design and creating an order display. This was completed by mounting an iPad with customized software which synced the display with the database and point of sale system. This completed the already wireless kiosk.
After testing it was determined that the Class D Amplifiers created in previous semesters were still suitable, and provided extremely clear orders for both the customer and the employee.
Key functionality that was improved upon this semester included the Bluetooth proximity detector. While previous semesters used a primal method to generate the proximity sensor, research was done over the course of the semester to create a customized and packable product.
Server & Point of Sale Development
The Server Sub-team was tasked with creating the back-end of the entire system, as well as integrating the system into an intuitive point of sale system. Using Amazon Database, the back end is stored completely in house. Allowing for a secure and controlled environment for iiTHRU.
The Amazon database is powered by jQuery and Flask. This allows for quick synchronization of the database from a device, to the Point of Sale System, and back to the Kiosk. This is done almost simultaneously.
The Evolution of the Mobile Applications
The Mobile Application Sub-team was tasked to create fully functional ordering systems for multiple devices. It was vital for the application to reach as many users as possible, so for the sake of time a open source development tool was used. Using the pieces of the previous systems and PhoneGap allowed for the team to complete a single application which reaches across platforms.
Currently supported paltforms include the following:
- iPhone
- iPad
- Android
The application will eventually support:
- Windows Phone 7
- Blackberry
Study of Economics
The impact on the queue while using the new voiceless ordering system was carefully compared to the traditional drive through ordering system. The timing between specific steps of the ordering systems were carefully analyzed using testing conditions set for normal and peak hours of operation. The timing for the system started upon the customer's arrival at the kiosk. It continued through the order submission, order confirmation, and payment systems. The test completed when the customer successfully received their ordered food items.