Fridge Happy-o-meter

[Matthew Daubney]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/My-Weigh-Pd750-Shipping-Scale-Heavy-Duty-Industrial-Floor-Platform-Weighing-/131527001675?hash=item1e9f9ec64b:g:so8AAOSwl9BWHMci

Expensive, but would make the fridge happy-o-meter quite easy. Anyone know of where we can get these things cheap? Lovely RS232 connection into them.

[Mat Lifford]

I have a circuit digram somewhere for a load cell with a high limit alarm. Change that to a low alarm, get a load cell and a hugh peice of metal. And we have a fridge happy-o-meter.

[Richard Ibbotson]

Fridge very happy now.
Has beer.
Come down Saturday and help make it sad again.

[Alex Gibson]

I don’t have time to do this, but if anyone is willing to have a go, I would like to sponsor a great newbie Raspberry Pi project that could make a more useful AND cheap happy-meter.  I have the parts to long term loan or maybe donate to the space.   This doesn’t stop any other projects from also going ahead!

 

Ingredients:

Raspberry PI (any version)

+ Webcam/Pi Camera

+ Pi touch screen

+ Open source Bar code reading software

+ Google Docs spreadsheet

+ IfThisThisThenThat.com

 

My view of how the flow would work:

0)      One off scan of the barcodes of the stuff in the fridge.  Ideally find what the barcodes mean from an online resource, or manually enter what the thing is to the google doc

1)      Person goes to Costco or wherever and buys the drinks, and is a hero

2)      Same or other person loads the fridge, pausing briefly to either scan in each item if it’s fast to recognise, or scan one and on screen select the number of items being added

3)      If a new item to the system is scanned, ideally an internet lookup is done first and pre-populated, but either way the person loading is prompted to enter what it is

4)      New stock level is updated to the Google doc

5)      Person comes and takes a drink

6)      Person scans the barcode

7)      Barcode is recognised and the price displayed, and the item, they hit confirm, and a message is sent via ifthisthenthat to take the item off the stock google spreadsheet

8)      IfThisThenThat periodically emails the group the stock count (no more than once a week)m then event emails  if stock levels of any of the main drinks people like are getting low, and are out.

9)      Maybe also a web page shows a ‘virtual happy/sad fridge’ displaying what it’s got

 

 

Yes maybe there is an issue if like now someone has been so awesome we have more stock than the fridge can hold, but lets’ fix that once we have the above up and running as a minimum viable product.

 

Like I said I have the parts for the project, and would be happy to design and 3D print a little housing, they are available immediately, my only requirement is someone else with the enthusiasm to start and finish the job soon – it should be pretty straightforward and I’d be happy to offer motivational pointers, and others have more technical skill if there is an issue.

 

Any takers?

 

Cheers

 

Alex Gibson

 

+44 7813 810 765    @alexgibson3d    37 Royal Avenue, Reading RG31 4UR

 

admg consulting

 

·         Project management

·         Operations & Process improvement

·         3D Printing

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[Norro]

If it is too hard for a person taking the last x from the fridge to say so, they are not likely to bother scanning a barcode every time they take any item!

[Stuart Livings]

I both agree and disagree with this.

It's a behavioural problem, rather than a technical problem.  Apply technology to resolve behavioural issues is not always successful.

However if technology does genuinely make it easier (easier than sending a mail) then it's more likely to be successful than the current behaviour...

How about a mechanical solution?  A simple (laser cut?) barrier which the last few cans are behind.  To get to those cans the barrier has to be removed and it clearly says that whoever takes one of those cans must email the list to notify of low stock?

Stuart

[Ben Norcutt]

Do image recognition rather than bar code scanning therefore the can doesn't need to be orientated a particular way to be read?

[Alex Gibson]

All valid points - I an sure there are ways to improve upon the suggestion I have made, but I wanted to present the way I'd go about making an example minimum viable product.

One of the key things with the fridge is that it's obvious we plow through coke variants so fast that if we only bought those, it wouldn't be enough. Others prefer other brands and types, but we have no idea whether some things are being drunk in desperation after the third preference has run out.

I think it would be fun to track depletion rate of the different things.

I agree you can't fix human nature with technology, but
A) I do think even scanning a barcode on a fixed, dedicated device, is easier than sending an email - so worth doing if someone fancies a project?
B) the proactive nature of the running out alerts should help trigger the right sort of behaviour from both consumers and our heroic costco cardholders...

Cheers

Alex

Tapped on my mobile phone.

> On 6 May 2016, at 23:16, Ben Norcutt <benno...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Do image recognition rather than bar code scanning therefore the can doesn't need to be orientated a particular way to be read?
>

[Richard / rgproduct]

Re-defining "fun" in my book!

[Matthew Daubney]

Always this method too https://hackaday.com/2016/04/29/soda-fridge-hack-to-fix-a-lazy-people-problem/

[G Albatross]

It would be nice to have alerts sent when the number of items go below a certain level.
Or maybe use some of those LCD button-bars to display current stock levels/traffic light colours above the fridge?

Also, how hard would it be to set up a servo lock on the fridge, linked to members IDs being scanned?
So scan, check credit, if ok ,retract locking bar for 10 seconds.
I mean, it's really not necessary, but having the most secure fridge in Reading would be major bragging rights.

[Richard / rgproduct]

... Glass fronted door?