Background

A vending machine automatically dispenses items such as transport tickets, newspapers, snacks, soft drinks, and so forth, after payment has been made. Vending machines will accept payment in the form of coins, notes, bank cards, or increasingly, contactless payment systems. Vending machines exist in many countries and recently, more specialised vending machines have appeared, offering things like books, pizzas, smartphones, SIM cards, and many more. A vending machine must provide a useful product, a reliable service, a secure place for the stock that is being sold, and protection from the elements.
​​​​​​​A smart electronic device is a useful instrument, machine, or gadget that is controlled by electronic circuitry microcontroller boards, or sometimes by a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, and that perform only a few limited functions. We have many different kinds of devices at home, on our person, or at school to perform useful work for us, or to provide us with information, in order to increase our well-being.
 

The design brief

Design a vending machine for vending useful items to staff and students at school, that operates by using simple electronic circuitry, or a microcontroller board like the Arduino. The vending machine will be fixed at a location in the school, and it will dispense things like water and refreshments, healthy snacks and fruit, pens and stationery, or whatever you choose. The vending machine must give importance to hygiene and cleanliness. Construct a working prototype of your vending machine and test it. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.
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The design thinking process

Follow the six stages of the design thinking process to ensure that you are thorough and do everything necessary to succeed in your design project. First, you endeavour to understand the design topic and EMPATHISE with the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DEFINE what is essential to the product or system that you are designing. Then you IDEATE, that is, you creatively come up with ideas and develop them. The next step is to PROTOTYPE your chosen design solution in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Then you TEST your design idea to elicit the opinions of users. And finally, at the end of the process, you REFLECT upon your project to benefit from the experience. Use the appropriate methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you proceed along the design thinking process.
 

Note for teachers

Undertaking a student design project using electrical parts or microcontrollers such as Arduino requires:

• teachers who are able to supervise such a project;
• laboratories or workshops with electrical and electronic parts and tools;
• ​​​​​​​and students who are trained to work with electricity, tools, and equipment.