A Prototype of An Automatic Little Free Pantry Utilizing An Identification Card

This research presented an alternative solution to the Little Free Pantry situation by introducing the Automatic Little Free Pantry (ALFP), which utilizes ID cards to designate entitlements to the available resources. The system consists of two operational sections. The first section is for product dispensing and has five storage chambers that are set at an incline. A dispenser tray, formed by horizontally cut PVC pipes and a servo motor, is used to open, and close the outlets. The servo motor responsible for this action is controlled by PWM signals. The second section is the user management system, which incorporates a Raspberry Pi 4 processing unit. It imports data into the database system using an ID card reader to identify users and compare their remaining entitlements with the information stored in the database. During the experiment, each user was entitled to three products daily, randomly selected from the ALFP. The results of the experiment demonstrated that the products were correctly dispensed as per the users’ random selections, with an average error rate of 0%. Additionally, the user’s identity and entitlements were accurately accounted for, achieving a success rate of 100%. Based on these outcomes, the prototype ALFP proves to be well-suited for efficient product management and distribution.