IIT Kharagpur has developed a solar-powered food vending cart with digital payment facilities, allowing street vendors to move between locations and serve different customer groups without having to occupy public spaces permanently.
Mounted on a three-wheeler, the vending machine was unveiled on Friday during the inauguration of ‘Nagar Udyam – From Street Vendor to Smart Entrepreneur’ on the institute campus.
SOLAR POWER, DIGITAL PAYMENTS AND WASTE SEGREGATION
The machine features solar power, digital payment facilities, a bright product display and a three-way waste segregation system. Its three-wheeler design allows vendors to take it home after business hours, reducing the need to occupy public spaces permanently while enabling them to reach different customer groups throughout the day.
IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty, who conceived the project, said the initiative was part of the institute’s plans to mark its platinum jubilee and reflected its commitment to translating technology into practical solutions for social and economic development.
PROJECT TO BE TESTED THROUGH SETU PLATFORM
For testing, the food vending machine project will be integrated with IIT Kharagpur’s SETU Cloud Kitchen Connect platform. The platform aims to provide vendors with digital identification, QR-based access, cashless payment facilities, training and improved business records.
Chakraborty said the initiative was intended to go beyond redesigning a street cart and improve the opportunities available to the people running these businesses.
Chakraborty said the initiative aimed to go beyond redesigning street carts and create better economic opportunities for vendors. He said a business that could move with demand, return home at night and leverage clean energy and digital finance could turn an opportunity seeker into a job creator.
“That is the kind of technology translation IIT Kharagpur stands for,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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