Smart Shopping Trolley

Introduction

A Smart Shopping Trolley is an innovative solution for modern retail stores, designed to assist customers, track items, and automate billing. By integrating IoT, sensors, and automation, a smart trolley improves shopping efficiency and user convenience.

This project is useful for supermarkets, smart malls, and retail research projects.


Objective of the Project

  • To track products placed in the trolley using sensors
  • To provide automatic billing and reduce checkout time
  • To monitor the trolley’s movement and location
  • To demonstrate smart retail technology

Working Principle

  1. The trolley is equipped with weight sensors or RFID sensors to detect products
  2. Each product is tagged with RFID tags or barcodes
  3. When a product is placed in the trolley, sensor data is sent to microcontroller
  4. Microcontroller processes items and calculates total cost
  5. Optional: IoT integration sends the shopping list and bill to a mobile app
  6. Some designs also include trolley movement tracking and anti-theft mechanisms

Components Required

  • Arduino / ESP32
  • RFID Reader Module (RC522)
  • RFID Tags (for products)
  • LCD / OLED Display (for showing total)
  • Buzzer (for alerts)
  • Wi-Fi Module (ESP8266 / ESP32 built-in) for IoT
  • Power supply and trolley frame
  • Jumper wires

Block Diagram

RFID Tag on Product
        ↓
   RFID Reader on Trolley
        ↓
   Arduino / ESP32
        ↓
 LCD / OLED Display
        ↓
 Total Price & Notifications
        ↓
 Optional: Mobile App (IoT)

Circuit Connections (Arduino + RFID)

RFID RC522

SDA → D10
SCK → D13
MOSI → D11
MISO → D12
IRQ → Not Used
GND → GND
3.3V → 3.3V
RST → D9

LCD 16×2

RS → D7
EN → D6
D4 → D5
D5 → D4
D6 → D3
D7 → D2
VSS → GND
VDD → 5V
V0 → Potentiometer middle pin

Buzzer

+ → D8
- → GND

Arduino Code (Smart Shopping Trolley)

#include <SPI.h>
#include <MFRC522.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>

#define RST_PIN 9
#define SS_PIN 10
MFRC522 mfrc522(SS_PIN, RST_PIN);

LiquidCrystal lcd(7,6,5,4,3,2);
int buzzer = 8;

struct Product {
  String uid;
  String name;
  int price;
};

// Example Product Database
Product products[] = {
  {"04 A1 B2 C3 D4", "Milk", 50},
  {"12 34 56 78 90", "Bread", 30},
  {"AB CD EF 12 34", "Eggs", 70}
};

void setup() {
  lcd.begin(16,2);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  SPI.begin();
  mfrc522.PCD_Init();
  pinMode(buzzer, OUTPUT);
  lcd.print("Smart Trolley");
  delay(2000);
  lcd.clear();
}

void loop() {
  if ( ! mfrc522.PICC_IsNewCardPresent()) return;
  if ( ! mfrc522.PICC_ReadCardSerial()) return;

  String uid = "";
  for (byte i = 0; i < mfrc522.uid.size; i++) {
    uid += String(mfrc522.uid.uidByte[i], HEX);
    if(i < mfrc522.uid.size-1) uid += " ";
  }
  
  Serial.println(uid);
  
  bool found = false;
  for(int i=0; i<3; i++){
    if(products[i].uid == uid){
      lcd.clear();
      lcd.print(products[i].name);
      lcd.setCursor(0,1);
      lcd.print("Price: Rs ");
      lcd.print(products[i].price);
      Serial.print("Product: ");
      Serial.println(products[i].name);
      Serial.print("Price: ");
      Serial.println(products[i].price);
      digitalWrite(buzzer, HIGH);
      delay(200);
      digitalWrite(buzzer, LOW);
      found = true;
      break;
    }
  }
  if(!found){
    lcd.clear();
    lcd.print("Product Not Found");
  }
  delay(1000);
}

Code Explanation

  • RFID reader reads UID of product tag
  • Microcontroller checks UID against predefined product database
  • If matched, product name and price are displayed on LCD
  • Buzzer gives a notification for scanned item
  • Optional IoT integration can send data to a mobile app for billing

Advantages

  • Automates product scanning and billing
  • Reduces checkout time
  • Enhances customer shopping experience
  • Can be integrated with IoT for advanced features

Applications

  • Smart supermarkets and malls
  • Retail automation
  • Self-checkout systems
  • Educational projects on IoT and automation

Future Enhancements

  • Integration with mobile app for automatic billing
  • Weight sensors to detect product removal or addition
  • QR code scanning for cheaper tags
  • Anti-theft mechanism using IoT alerts

Conclusion

The Smart Shopping Trolley is a mini + innovation project that demonstrates IoT, RFID technology, and smart retail automation. It helps streamline shopping, reduces manual effort, and showcases modern technology in retail systems.

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