Feasibility of using machine vision based cash register system in a university cafeteria

This paper explores the feasibility of using machined vision based cash register system in a university cafeteria and automatically determine price of the food items that are contained on a cafeteria food tray. The idea is to take an image of the food tray, identify all the food items on the tray, and display the total food cost. A fully automated version of the system is envisioned to use a standard biometric technology for customer identification and for automatic debit process of the food cost from the customer's pre-registered account. The analysis method uses shape and size analysis to identify food items that are served on distinct type dishes and color analysis for those items that are served in similar type dishes. The paper explains prototype of a developed system and experimental results for 10 types of meals served at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Cafeteria to justify the validity of this approach.