Offline bitcoin vending machine using lightning

[nullama]

Here's an interesting project that uses lightning to create a completely offline bitcoin vending machine. It's even battery powered, so you can just grab it and use it anywhere.



Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaJGkJZsImo

Github: https://github.com/arcbtc/LNURLVend

It works basically displaying a specific QR code for lightning, once a lightning wallet scans it, it generates a PIN.

Under the hood it uses the LNURL-pay protocol to create a PIN which is displayed in the lightning wallet. The user then types the PIN in the machine and the product is delivered.

This sounds like a really useful way to sell stuff in conferences, meetups, etc, as it's very portable and easy to use.

[DaveF]

Now that looks really cool. I can't come up with a reason to buy one for myself at the moment, but I really want to.
All I need is a product to put in it, and a place to have it be displayed, and some people who know where it is to use it. :-)

It really is nice to see people developing things like this for BTC / crypto.
You had the candy dispensers but the people making them seem to have stopped production.

-Dave

[NeuroticFish]

This sounds like a really useful way to sell stuff in conferences, meetups, etc, as it's very portable and easy to use.

I guess that they can fit as well at every corner of the street, or supermarkets, or bus/tram/train stations in coffee, snacks or tickets vending machines. I can't wait!

[avikz]

I love the sticker on the top left corner which says - no shitcoin inside! I hope people understand the meaning of it becaus ethe crypto population is madly running behind meme coins it seems.

That could very well be the future of vending machines business. It's just a matter of adding the PIN to the vending machine from your LN wallet before you can get the product released for you. Speed matters!

[SFR10]

I'm quite impressed with how everything looks and works, but it's worth noting that the price shown ^[$250] in the title of the above video, is just for the vending machine alone ^{[depending on certain situations and our locations, the overall cost is around $350 to $400]}!

I can't come up with a reason to buy one for myself at the moment, but I really want to.

With a bit of creativity, you can use it to sell your domains

[Upgrade00]

This is quite a very cool concept and goes to show there is a lot of potential for integrating bitcoin into different services. I cannot see non bitcoin users actually using it as many would consider it too technical from the get go, but it would at least get them involved in bitcoin and get them to research on it.
More importantly it gives bitcoiners an opportunity to spend some of their precious coins rather than just keeping them in cold storage.

Extra points for the no shitcoins tag.

[fiulpro]

An absolutely amazing idea. The fact is Bitcoin is being adopted more and more every single day and considering the fact that I live in a small city in Ukraine. It's absolutely shocking that I got to see the first Bitcoin related ATM.

The vending machine would be great, it would increase the interest of people more and at the same time it would also help the younger generation to adapt bitcoins since kids are so easily excited about small new things. The concept is amazing lightning network would be working with micropayments as well so we can have a can of cola or a bag of chips!! Can't wait to see something like this in our area soon!
It's not too technical as long as you have the basic knowledge and you do have a smartphone.

[naira]

There are always innovations initiated by developers and all of them are trying to make it easier for us to be more aware that Bitcoin transactions are not as difficult as imagined 10 years ago. Now where everyone just woke up and rushed to join. Honestly, the innovation you provide is enough to make us have no other reason that everything is always made easy to educate that Bitcoin is accessible to everyone without exception.

[romero121]

Vending machine with next level innovation. It means the innovation is for the future. None could've thought of such an innovation using bitcoin. Something special about the vending machine is its portable feature. It can be installed anywhere. Global population is getting used to cryptocurrency, and business people are innovating to make people spend bitcoin giving real-time usability access.

[Mbitr]

I’ve met this guy several times now and he is an amazing individual, he’s been creating some very cool stuff for several years now.
Just check out his Twitter history - it’s worth it 

https://twitter.com/arcbtc?s=21

You can’t help but be impressed by his work and dedication to LN and Bitcoin. He’s constantly pushing boundaries and promoting Bitcoin. He’s also a really nice guy and great to grab a beer with 

He also produced some NFTs (arguably  ) on LN .

[LoyceV]

Under the hood it uses the LNURL-pay protocol to create a PIN which is displayed in the lightning wallet. The user then types the PIN in the machine and the product is delivered.

So the machine knows the PIN already, the machine's wallet is online elsewhere, and the customer still needs to have an internet connection on their phone.
Put this at a canteen in a school, and you can just wait for the kids to keep trying the PIN until they succeed.

it's very portable

Usually vending machines are heavy or wall mounted, so people don't get free products by shaking it.

Other than that, the proof of concept is really cool! I've never seen a "PIN" returned after making a LN payment, so I'm not sure if all wallets even support that.

[Lucius]

Put this at a canteen in a school, and you can just wait for the kids to keep trying the PIN until they succeed.

Maybe one day such machines will be in schools, but today it would not make sense to do something like that - kids do not have BTC wallets on their smartphones, and far from knowing how to use LN.

Usually vending machines are heavy or wall mounted, so people don't get free products by shaking it.

The problem is not only that someone would try to get free candy that way, but the bigger problem is that the machine looks like something that can be easily stolen. Again, on the other hand, it may be possible that the machine can be attached to a substrate or wall - there are small crypto ATMs that use some kind of lock mechanism that prevents someone from just taking them away.

It's absolutely shocking that I got to see the first Bitcoin related ATM.

Someone really tried to make the ATM noticeable, it's hard for anyone not to notice it even from a greater distance