[SOLVED] How to make a cheap Kiosk Machine?

 Nowadays, the demand for Kiosk machines is very high. It is being used in Restaurants for self-ordering food, Hotels for choosing rooms, Banks for making money transactions, Retails for self-checkouts, Railways for ticket booking and PNR status checking, Healthcare, and many other domains.

The use of Kiosk machines is going to increase a lot in the future. There are a lot of different use cases of Kiosk machines that are yet to be explored. 

Kiosks can be of many types like table-top, wall-mounted, and standing Kiosk. The appearance of Kiosks may vary depending upon their features and use cases.

To make a Kiosk machine we need :

1. Kiosk cabinet
2. A computer
3. An Operating System for Kiosk
4. Application Software
5. Internet Connection
6. Touchscreen Display
7. Fingerprint Scanner (Optional)
8. Printer (Optional)

We will be discussing in detail about the above mentioned 8 components and also the cost of each item. In the end, we will add up everything and justify the title of this blog.

So without much ado, let's get started!

1. Kiosk cabinet

Kiosk Cabinets of different shapes and sizes are available in the market ranging from Rs. 10000 to Rs. 20000 (avg= Rs. 15000). You can also request the manufacturer for a custom design according to your implementation.

2. A Computer

'Raspberry Pi Model B' is a full-fledged computer on its own. It has all kinds of ports like USB, LAN, HDMI, Camera, and has builtin features like Wifi, Bluetooth, etc. It is highly customizable and has a 40 pin GPIO header which can be programmed as per our needs. It is available in the market for Rs. 3000. It needs a memory card to store the operating system and programs. A 16 GB memory card is more than enough which available for Rs. 350.

3. An Operating System for Kiosk

Android things is an IoT Operating System by Google which is highly compatible with our chosen computer, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. It can be downloaded free of cost.

4. Application Software

It will be an android IoT app that will run on the Android Things IoT platform. This piece of software can be made according to your needs and all functionalities of the Kiosk are coded into it. It is also responsible for interfacing with any peripherals that you wish to connect with the Raspberry Pi like Fingerprint Sanner and Printer. 

You need not purchase any piece of software to develop this app. 'Android Studio' can be used to develop this which is available free of cost. However, you may need to purchase services from a Software Developer to develop this application.

You will also need a Hosting Service and a domain name to host your server-side scripts. Both Hosting Service and the domain name will cost you around Rs. 3000 for a whole year.

 

5. Internet Connection

An active internet connection is required for the connectivity of your Kiosk with the server. You can always provide a LAN wire directly into Raspberry Pi's LAN port and that's it. No other configuration required.

6. Touchscreen Display

You will need a Touchscreen display to show different options to users and take input from them. There are different types of touch screens present in the market, but I would suggest IR touchscreen frame along with a conventional LCD monitor of the same size because of their durability and less price. Both the IR touchscreen frame along with the monitor will cost you about Rs. 10000.

7. Fingerprint Scanner (Optional)

'Secugen Hamster Pro 20' fingerprint scanner is the best option available in the market. It is very reliable and fast. It also provides SDKs for various platforms. It is available in the market for Rs. 3800.

8. Printer

A printer is very useful for providing receipts to users. You should use a Thermal Printer because as the name suggests, it uses heat to print on a special paper. 'RP203 2-inch Thermal Printer' is available in the market for Rs. 1500.

To sum up, it would cost Rs. 36,650 to build a budget Kiosk Machine.

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