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A Toolbox That Helps Keep You From Losing Tools (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the one-day-there-will-be-no-1/2-sockets-anywhere-in-the-world-because-they'll-all-be-lost dept.

Dan Mcculley, the interviewee in this video, works for Intel and claims they have "about 140" projects going on inside their fabs and factories, of which the Smart Toolbox is but one, and it's one some technicians came up with because Intel workers lose something like $35,000 worth of tools every year. This project is based on the same Galileo boards Intel has used to support some high-altitude balloon launches -- except this is an extremely simple, practical application. Open source? You bet! And Dan says the sensors and other parts are all off-the-shelf items anyone can buy. (Alternate Video Link)

1 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Re:And this concept is standard in Aviation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I worked in a quartermaster type position during a student summer job for the Air Force once. I pretty much lived inside a giant steel cage when I wasn't scrubbing down the hangar (yes, a hangar. and the lockers inside, and the adjoining hallways. and I got to sweep it. and drive golf carts to take out the trash--which was actually a blast, just don't get caught by the SPs for skiing them).

    Anyway, they had a barcode sticker on everything and every mechanic had an ID. They'd come up to the desk in the morning and ask for a set of tools. I'd trot around my cage and find them, put in their ID, scan each tool, and hand them over. At the end of the day, they'd bring them back. Then, we'd run a report showing which tools were still checked out and go hunt down the responsible mechanics.

    Worked pretty well as far as I can tell. 100% recovery rate during my time there.