Services Provided
Tablet App Development
Client Problem
We are an IoT startup. While we are building & testing our product, we need a tablet app to connect with our Smart Shopping Cart.
The shopping cart uses OPC UA protocol, and the tablet must connect to the cart via Wi-Fi. Tablet will then communicate with the cart using OPC UA protocol to change the cart position and perform various functions.
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Our Solution
There are a few key elements in this app:
Communication through Wi-Fi
Communication using OPC UA protocol
Remote testing
We have to set up a configurable Wi-Fi connector, learn & understand an OPC UA industrial protocol, and make testing as frictionless as possible.
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How we made it work
1. Analysis
We had to learn OPC UA from scratch - a pretty standard task for such project, as the technologies in such space vary by a lot.
Our Co-Founders had expertise with various industrial protocols, such as Modbus and Ethernet/IP, so it was a bit easier for us than it would've been for other Mobile App Development agencies.
Once we understood the specs and were clear on the scope of work, we moved forward with the app development.
2. Product Development & Testing
We were able to build the first version quite fast once the documentation was in place, but the real challenge was to test everything.
Given the project specifics, it was impossible for us to test it without having an actual cart. We used an OPC UA simulator, but the real physics applies only in the real world.
After spending a lot of evenings on Zoom meetings with the client, he decided to connect his cart to internet. And then the process began to accelerate.
However, the testing showed that OPC UA was simply not suitable for the device architecture, so we had to re-build everything with another protocol - Node Red - from scratch. But this time, everything went much smoother and faster.
Our Co-Founders even visited the client in Germany - shoutout to Marcus ;) - at the late stage of the project.
3. Big numbers
It's been a year since we completed the app, and the startup continued to iterate their product.
We were surprised to find out that the startup made a lot of partnerships, including Ferrotec, a $1.2 BILLION company. We're excited for BuyRocks' future, and hope to soon see their product in all German retail stores!
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