August 11 2016, Announcing Dash N Go – The first register less in-store purchase system with Dash.
The Dash N Go project was a project started from one of the creators of the Dash InstantSend Dash N Drink Soda Machine, Jeremy Maus. The idea was to expand the capabilities of using InstantSend in point of sale from a soda machine to a store. Dash InstantSend is used because it locks a transaction in about 1 second without any risk of double spending like other cryptos are subject to. The key with Dash N Go is that it allows users to pay for products by scanning with their phone instantly, eliminating any need to wait at a register. This project was also voted in and funded by the Dash budget system, see dash.org for more details about Dash.
Dash N Go project original started with the idea to create a captive wifi portal to purchase products. It became impractical to create a mobile app that can automatically login to a secure wifi portal and differentiates it from other wifi signals. The wifi portal would have also required extra hardware to be installed by the customer. Instead, we focused on created a mobile app that can download information from a standard web server using the phones cell data connection.
Jeremy Maus lead developer extended his gratitude to members of the community. He said:
We had support from a few select people in the Dash community. The start of this project we had the support of @fulltimegeek to help with android development. Thomas Ludek (tomasz.ludek) helped immensely with the Android portion and took the concept to completion. Jake (TheDashGuy) helped on website design and images. Special thanks to all is well deserved.
How Does Dash N Go Work?
After you download the Android app, it connects to a server that is hosting a product list and store info file. The user hits the add to cart button, and the app opens the scanner. The user scans a product barcode(UPC code). The app finds the barcode in the product list and populates the description, cost, and dash address in the cart. When you hit pay the app pulls the current Dash price and converts the store price to dash and totals all the cart contents. It sends the request to your dash wallet to pay where you accept the payment. When complete the receipt is shown. Each payment is saved as a receipt and can be pulled up at a later time.
There are additional features that can be added to this system. Each product uses a unique Dash address. An inventory system can look at each Dash address on the blockchain and figure out how many products were sold. Another feature is that the app could have a list of products instead of scanning, this could communicate with a vending machine and eliminate the need for display or any buttons on the vending machine.
The proof of concept is available to try out at www.dashngo.com. This initial release allows you to purchase Coke or Mountain Dew for just $.01. When this is to go into a commercial setting, a store selector will need to be added to the app. A full implementation will also require an initial store setup process to add the store product list to a server.
Dash N Go Contact
