Axiomtek Unleashes the Customization Flexibility of Self-Service Kiosks
In our daily lives, whether buying movie tickets, searching for items while shopping, or checking in at the airport, self-service kiosks are becoming increasingly common. They help shorten waiting times and boost sales, making them attractive to both consumers and business owners. As a result, self-service kiosks are gradually becoming essential for many businesses. According to a report by Business Insider in 2017, McDonald’s reported a 6% increase in sales after introducing self-service ordering. This indicates that the market and demand for self-service kiosks continue to expand. Statista predicts that the market will reach USD 21.42 billion by 2027.
Kiosks vary in shape, size, price, functionality, and maintainability, as they are often highly customized. Axiomtek, a world-renowned leader in industrial PC solutions, customizes and crafts a variety of kiosks with both aesthetics and practicality in mind, meeting customers’ demands while presenting a professional corporate image.
When it comes to customization, Axiomtek puts itself in customers’ shoes and follows the principles of design thinking: understanding the scope of customers’ applications, defining pain points, ideating the kiosk, creating a prototype, and testing the final solution. Through the cases below, Axiomtek demonstrates its empathy in design thinking and its manufacturing capability to deliver systems that help customers reach their business goals and maximize business value.
Self-Service Kiosk for Issuing Land Transcripts in Public Services
A Land Administration Bureau of a city government in Taiwan turned to Axiomtek to customize a self-service kiosk that can not only print land transcript documents but also allow users to make electronic payments. The bureau’s goal was to reduce the workload of public servants while improving service efficiency.
Considering the need to integrate an A4 printer inside the kiosk, along with the spacious government building environment and the bureau’s preference for a reliable and professional image, Axiomtek designed an enclosed, square, and symmetrical kiosk according to the customer’s request.
Axiomtek customized the SSK521 kiosk for the Land Administration Bureau. With ergonomics and user-friendliness as key priorities, the kiosk features a 21.5-inch projected capacitive touch panel with a 70-degree viewing angle, making it easy for users to read and operate. The kiosk height provides a comfortable user experience for most average users between 4 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 11 inches. Moreover, a front-opening design was added for easy maintenance, while a pull-out tray allows staff to access the A4 printer in case of a paper jam. This kiosk is powered by the Intel® Core™ i3-7101TE processor and integrates various peripherals through USB ports, including a thermal printer, A4 printer, credit card reader, IC card reader, and barcode reader.
AI Vision for Product Identification and Self-Checkout in Cafés
Axiomtek designed a modular kiosk for an international coffeehouse chain that sells a variety of bread at selected branches. The kiosk features a 27-inch FHD touch screen and a 5M AI camera, and its functionality is extended through the integration of card payment, a thermal printer, and other peripherals. To avoid confusing customers with different types of bread, customers simply place the bread on the tray instead of selecting items manually on the screen. Axiomtek integrates AI vision so the algorithm is activated as soon as the bread is placed on the tray, and the item list and price appear within seconds. Customers can then pay with a transportation card or credit card.
For branches that only sell drinks, Axiomtek proposed the lightweight SSK515 to free up more store space and accommodate more customers, helping generate higher profits. Customers can simply place orders through the touch screen. For the SSK515, Axiomtek emphasizes both aesthetics and functionality, presenting an asymmetric appearance that leaves a vivid impression on customers.
The SSK515 features the Intel® Smart Display Module Large (SDM500L) with Intel® Core™ i5 or Intel® Celeron® processors, making maintenance easier. An LED light bar on top supports 256 colors and can show the operating status of the kiosk. With a weight of only 14.5 kg and a thickness of under 90 mm, the SSK515 is a versatile kiosk that supports wall mount, floor stand, and countertop stand installation.
Unmanned E-Commerce Package Pickup and Drop-Off Service
In Asia, consumers heavily favor e-commerce and often choose to have packages delivered to nearby locations for pickup. An e-commerce platform has been expanding its own offline pickup and drop-off locations for shoppers and sellers. To improve efficiency, the platform planned to introduce self-service kiosks.
In highly populated cities, rent is expensive and available space is limited. Therefore, the platform required kiosks to be as compact as possible so they could be placed on tables and generate the best sales per unit area. Axiomtek proposed a fully customized self-service kiosk measuring only 387 mm (W) x 400 mm (D) x 578 mm (H). It is powered by the Intel® Celeron® 6305E processor and equipped with a 15.6-inch PCAP touch panel. Under the touch panel, there is a thermal printer for receipts, a label printer for sellers to print tags for packages, and a tilting numeric keypad for users to enter phone numbers and search for packages. This design considers that typing numbers can be faster than tapping on a touch screen. When buyers pick up packages, they can use a Bluetooth scanner to read the barcode on the package. Axiomtek specifically suggested using a wireless scanner to increase the working range. With thoughtful design, Axiomtek integrates multiple peripherals into a compact yet powerful solution.