We're building India's first protein shake vending machine designed for gyms (not repurposed coffee machines). Fresh shakes in under a minute, UPI payments, auto-cleaning. Backed by NTU Singapore. Now entering pilot manufacturing and need someone to build the cloud layer.
What you'll build : Admin Dashboard
Web interface for gym owners and service teams. Real-time sales, machine health, inventory alerts. Config pages to update flavours, prices, availability - changes sync instantly to machines. Command triggers like "Lockout" or "Start Clean Cycle" that execute remotely.
Machine-Cloud Gateway
The bridge between our ESP32-powered machines and Firebase. You'll design the Firestore schema for machines, orders, telemetry. Write Cloud Functions for order validation, command dispatch, event logging. Handle device sync so dashboard updates push live to the DWIN tablet through ESP32. Build APIs / WebSocket endpoints for firmware communication.
Backend Systems
Server-side payment validation and business logic using Firebase Cloud Functions (Node.js). REST APIs for machine registration, telemetry ingestion, remote commands. Structured logging for machine performance and diagnostics.
Tech stack :
Firebase (Firestore, Cloud Functions, Auth, Messaging)
Node.js / Express for custom endpoints and webhooks
Firestore security rules and data modeling
GitHub workflow
Helpful but optional : React / Tailwind for dashboard UI, Recharts / Chart.js, TypeScript, ESP32 / IoT protocols (MQTT, serial, WebSocket), payment gateway experience.
What matters :
You've shipped something. Doesn't have to be production - a college project where you’ve handled databases, APIs, and frontend counts. Just something that proves you can build end-to-end.
You debug properly. Check logs, read serial output, isolate the problem systematically.
You think about edge cases. What happens if WiFi drops mid-transaction? What if Firebase query returns null? Machines breaking at 6 AM because of a null pointer isn't acceptable.
You understand when to use what. Firebase is fast for prototyping but has limits. Sometimes you need Postgres or Redis. You make pragmatic choices.
The reality :
You'll work with the founders. Expect to parse serial data from sensors, handle ESP32 UART events, and deal with timing constraints. You'll build systems where dashboard config → Firebase → ESP32 → DWIN display automatically. You'll debug why telemetry stopped flowing or why a command didn't reach the machine. This is IoT in production, not a web app.
Who should apply :
Final year students and new grads welcome. If you've built something real and can explain how it works, you're qualified. Problem-solving matters more than credentials.
Logistics : Chennai
Start immediately
Full-time, compensation can be discussed based on involvement and long-term alignment
To apply :
Email : smartshakevending@gmail.com with :
GitHub / portfolio - we need to see code
Best project you've built : what stack, what problems, what you'd improve
When you can start
Website : www.smartshakevending.com
Stack Developer • Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India