Innovative smart-scanning shopping cart ‘SMEFA’ for people of determination wins the UAE James Dyson Award 2023

(MENAFN- Weber Shandwick) DUBAI, UAE – 13 SEPTEMBER, 2023: SMEFA, a smart scanning shopping solution for people of determination, has won the James Dyson Award in the UAE. Inspired by the UAE’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and empowering people of determination, five university students developed a technology that not only addresses challenges, but also enhances accessibility and quality of life for all.

The James Dyson Award has been challenging engineering and design undergraduates and recent graduates in the UAE to “design something that solves a problem” for the last six years. Deliberately expansive and unconstrained, the brief urges students to confront significant worldwide challenges and employ inventive technology to overcome them.

The winners of this year’s UAE award are a team of five strong engineering students from Heriot-Watt University. The team identified that current shopping experiences were not inclusive and there was a need to simplify the experience for those who are physically challenged. By addressing areas such as efficiency and convenience, the students aimed to create a more inclusive and enjoyable shopping experience for everyone. As a result, SMEFA was brought to life; a smart-scanning shopping cart that uses electronic prototyping technology and innovative features such as adjustable height and a built-in seat, to cater to the diverse needs of shoppers with various accessibility requirements.

Dr. Eng. Suaad Al Shamsi, who has been a judge from the beginning of James Dyson Award in the UAE, remarked: “SMEFA is a brilliant example of how technology can be used to create a more inclusive society and I am proud to see such innovative ideas coming from young engineers in the UAE. The team’s passion to focus on accessibility and convenience was particularly impressive for all the judges. I look forward to seeing how they plan to take their invention forward to make the shopping experience for people of determination and others in the community who may face challenges, easier.”

In conversations around the significance of UAE students’ engagement in the James Dyson Award, Abbas Jaffar Ali, a fellow judge of this year’s award said, “The participation of UAE students in the James Dyson Award showcases not only their innovative spirit but also their commitment to addressing real-world challenges. What sets SMEFA’s invention apart and makes it truly award-winning, is the ingenious integration of their app/scanning technology. In our ever-evolving world technology has become an integral part of society, with this element of the invention not only enhancing the overall functionality, but also demonstrating their ability to harness technology for practical purposes.”

SMEFA were marked as the winners with Hydropurfication and FarmFlock coming as runners up. SMEFA have won a £5,000 cash prize which can be used towards the next phases of their invention’s development and will automatically progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award. The international shortlist will be announced on 18th October, and the international winners on 15th November.

The Invention
SMEFA was invented by a team of students from Heriot-Watt university: Noel Binoy, Manush Dheen, Aditya Subin, Ashvin Vijish and Sidhik Adhi. The team was formed when they discovered their shared passion for technology and helping others, thus bringing SMEFA to life to make shopping more accessible for people with disabilities.

SMEFA uses a combination of technologies, including voice recognition, image recognition and augmented reality, to help users navigate stores, find products and make purchases with ease.

Structural design
The team identified several reasons why the typical cart designs available are not inclusive or fit for purpose which inspired their invention. To tackle these, SMEFA has multiple physical developments that make it more accessible for those with disabilities with an adapted structural design. The unique cart design enables the basket to reciprocate upwards/downwards, using less space, carrying higher loads, and making lifting loads easier as the cart moves up while the load is being removed. Moreover, the cart's compact size enables it to manoeuvre through small spaces, with a size of 140L, weighing only 9kg, whereas regular carts store 60L, weighing 9.5kg.

Smart scanning and app
The cart and app were designed with the specific diets of the user in mind and is beneficial as they display the calories and allergens of the product scanned from the barcode sensor. Firstly, the user scans a product using a barcode scanner and then places it into the cart where its weight is detected by a load sensor. Additionally, via Arduino, unscanned products are detected by inducing vibrations on the cart’s handle using a vibration motor and load sensor. SMEFA's smart scan cart is an innovative design that simplifies the entire process and assists physically challenged individuals in shopping. If it detects an unscanned product in the cart for 10 seconds, the handlebar vibrates due to the vibration motor. The scanned products' data are transmitted to the SMEFA app via ESP32 chip (QR code). The app payment system reduces additional issues faced due to long queue times while shopping. By developing SMEFA, the team demonstrated their commitment to using innovative technologies to make a positive impact on society.

"We are thrilled and honoured to be winning the James Dyson Award for SMEFA. Winning the award not only gives us recognition but also validates our efforts and skills as engineers. We are inspired to continue developing SMEFA and future technologies that simplify and enhance the shopping experience to make a more inclusive society. We believe in creating solutions that have a positive impact on people's lives, and this award motivates us to push our invention to new heights." said Noel Binoy one of the team members of SMEFA.

The runners up
Hydropurfication
Problem: The dire reality of the water crisis has doubled with projections that 1.8 billion people will face water scarcity in 2050.

Solution: The HydroPurification system is a filtration system designed to use the untapped resource of greywater. HyrdoPurification is a four-layered filtration system that removes all known pathogens, contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, ensuring high-quality water output from various sources. Greywater enters the system through the first layer, where a coarse panel microfiber filter removes larger contaminants like hair and lint. The second layer is a slow sand filtration set up, consisting of fine sand and gravel to remove pathogenic microorganisms and other suspended organic and nonorganic contaminants, with a 99.99% accuracy for bacteria and viruses. The water then passes through two UV water filters, which effectively eliminates any remaining pathogens from the water. The fourth and final layer features two flatbed sheets of granulated activated carbon (GAC), which removes the odor, taste, 81 different chemicals like chlorine and fluoride and all 12 known pesticides and herbicides. The purified water then flows through the GAC sheets and is collected in a collection chamber, which is attached to a pipe for any of its wide plethora of use cases.
Inventors: Haider Raza, Mohammad Mavia Khan, Mohamed Raiz and Muhammad Zunair
University: Curtin University

FarmFlock
Problem: The US slaughtered 5.3 million chickens in one facility during the April 2022 avian flu pandemic, following the loss of 22 million chickens across various states due to delayed disease detection. These losses are not only inhumane and detrimental to the environment, but also financially disastrous. The goal of this project was to help with food security so that such losses do not occur again.
Solution: FarmFlock is a swarm of mobile robots which roam autonomously within the poultry farm, collecting critical data related to flock health, such as ammonia levels, temperature, moisture, behaviour and carbon dioxide levels. Utilizing the Firefly Algorithm, the robots are programmed to move intelligently around the farm. When one robot detects an environmental parameter that crosses a threshold, it signals others to converge on that area for a comprehensive data assessment. This ensures rapid response to any potential health threats. Additionally, the robots analyze the rate of deaths of chickens within the farm. Data gathered is wirelessly transmitted in real-time to a centralized web application. Farm operators can easily access this platform, allowing them to review the data, pinpoint areas of concern and initiate timely interventions, be it isolation or vaccination. The overarching aim is to quickly identify potential outbreaks and minimize losses.
Inventor: Karen Jane Dsouza
University: Heriot Watt University

All the UAE entries, including the winner and runners up for the 2023 James Dyson Award can be viewed on The next phase of judging has begun with the Dyson engineers top 20 list being announced on 18th October before the 2023 global International and Sustainability winners will be announced on 15th November.

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