This Raspberry Pi-Powered Inventory Tracker Means You'll Never Misplace a Component Again
Designed for ease of use, this automated system tracks inventory via a barcode scanner — and ensures things go back in the right place.
OmnIoT founder Roni Gorodetsky has showcased a smart inventory management system built around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 system-on-module, building atop the InvenTree platform.
"Previously I posted about OmniKit," Gorodetsky writes of their latest creation, "which is the all-in-one Raspberry Pi-based system I've designed, I've decided to put the entire components management system on it and here's the results!"
Designed to reduce the likelihood of misplacing parts, the inventory management system sees RGB LEDs — on OmniKit boards, part of OmnIoT's prototyping and project creation platform — attached to the side of stacked bins filled with bagged parts. As parts are taken, a QR code on the back of the bag is scanned and the inventory updated — while an LED flashes to let you know to which bin you should return the bag.
"All the RGBs are individually addressable and connected to the right shelf ID of the right component based on the open-source InvenTree system," Gorodetsky explains. "Each bag is different components, different SKU [Stock-Keeping Unit]. The first two shelves are project related, have over 50 components per project. The rest are just random components and materials but also all unique."
Gorodetsky has promised to publish open-source code and hardware design files to the OmnIoT GitHub repository, alongside a full tutorial on building and using the system, over the weekend. While you're waiting, more information can be found on the project's Reddit thread.