← All case studiesAccess control & payment

Akrodyn SunControl

Age verification, ID checking and payment for unstaffed tanning salons - as a retrofit for installations up to 30 years old.

CustomerJoint development with Maihof Sonnenland GmbH

ScopeTerminal hardware · IoT network · Computer vision · Payment integration · Sheet-metal construction

Topics

Electronics
Mechanical engineering
Human interfaces
Payment solutions

Starting point

The problem

As of 1 January 2021, all unstaffed tanning salons are required to verify by machine that their customers are over 18, hold a valid ID, and use the sunbed only once per day.

During the Covid period, many components were unavailable.

The system had to work as a retrofit with installations up to 30 years old, without laying new cable, and keep conversion effort to a minimum.

A digital payment system was required, as was a solid sheet-metal construction to resist vandalism.

Solution

Our approach

SunControl consists of a terminal, a local doubly encrypted wireless IoT network, and a compact retrofit box installed in the cable between the coin unit and the sunbed.
SBC, screen and camera are combined in a single tablet, built for continuous mains-powered operation.
A mirror lets the tablet camera see the ID in the slot. Computer vision and pattern matching read it in fractions of a second.
Customers can still pay in cash or with TWINT.

Result

What came out of it

As a newcomer to the sector, Akrodyn reached a 73% market share within 2 years, because we involved our customers in development from step 1.
Made in Switzerland - so the system adapts quickly to new ID documents and market conditions.

Customer

Joint development with Maihof Sonnenland GmbH

Akrodyn SunControl is a joint development with Maihof Sonnenland GmbH and is sold as an Akrodyn product in its own right.

More projects

Electric drives & control softwareElectric fitness equipmentElectric weights that adjust the applied force precisely at every angle - instead of steel plates working against gravity.Fault analysis & retrofitMobile service liftRandom motor controller failures traced back to their root cause - energy fed back during emergency descent - and fixed in the field with a brake chopper retrofit.Medical electronicsVital scannerA compact ECG device with two electrodes instead of three, a sampling rate of 1,067 Hz and 0.7 µA standby current.Drive technology & mechanical engineering4-axis linear system with 15,000 NA complete redesign of an existing machine around the X1 controller - mechanical and electrical engineering from one team.Drive technology & automationUnderground inspectionAn automated winch system that measures the rope's slip and cancels it out - for probes up to 300 m into the duct.Computer vision & softwareCamera-based game controlSkeleton tracking for up to 8 people at once, in real time and on the CPU alone.Drive technology & power electronicsEtherCAT motor controllerCustom motor controller built on Akrodyn technology with EtherCAT, Safety PLe and certification to CE, UL and CSA for global use in industrial machinery.Drive technology & embedded firmwareMotor controller for robotics actuatorsCompact circular motor controller PCBs with field-oriented control and CAN-FD for a family of dynamic robotics actuators in three form factors, including full CAN protocol documentation and an end-of-line test plan.

Engineering sparring

Got an idea or a project? Let's get started.

One hour, free of charge, by video or at our place in Zurich. We look at where the technical risks are, what can be shortened and what the next sensible step would be. No pitch, no slide deck. You leave with more clarity than you arrived with — even if we never work together.

Book an engineering sparring

Or get in touch directly: info@akrodyn.com · +41 44 599 20 60

You speak straight to the engineer who will work on your project afterwards.