One of the vending machine produced by a group of ITC students. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Vending machines are commonplace across developed nations in Asia, Europe, and North America, primarily selling inexpensive consumables via banknotes or coins. Yet in Cambodia, a team of innovative students have given the concept a modern twist, employing QR Code technology for product purchase.
Chea Pheng Ou, a fifth-year electrical student at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) and the group’s spokesperson, reveals that the Techno Vending Machine, a concept born from a 2022 homework assignment, has since morphed into a thriving business.
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“We understood that if we did something innovative, we could evolve the idea into a successful future business,” he explains.
Initially, turning the concept into a profit-making venture was unclear to the team. However, with guidance from their teacher and department, they sought sponsorships to transform their idea into a department-benefitting business.
“Firstly, we identified the flaws in many commercial fridges and vending machines, predominantly their reliance on coins, absent from Cambodian circulation for years, and the issues presented by paper banknotes,” Pheng Ou explains.
He added that the group immediately recognised the opportunity for adapting QR Code technology, becoming increasingly popular in the country.
In collaboration with the Department of Food Chemistry and Taiwanese partners, the small business has begun blending technology and resources. The partner provides the fridges while the Techno Vending Machine team equips them with QR Code technology.
In 2024, the group aims to accept orders beyond their university walls, offering two types of Techno Vending Machines.
“One is a standard unit, and the other is customisable to cater to customer-specific product sizes and dimensions,” says Pheng Ou.
The team is developing a sales strategy, targeting individual customers and offering machine-rental packages. Pricing, however, remains undetermined as they currently only work with partners.
So far, the student team has developed two generations of its Techno Vending Machine. The first-gen model utilised a QR Code system with a six-second verification delay. The newer model, three times faster, uses the internet-dependent Bakong online payment system, which doesn’t require code verification.
At present, the fifth-year electrical students have assembled six vending machines, hoping their innovation will garner popular support and advance Cambodian technology.
“Despite competition from foreign commercial fridges, I hope that locals will support us as our machines are homegrown and cost effective,” Pheng Ou adds.
