GETCOO's Brightbin Combines LEDs and Computer Vision to Simplify Inventory Management
Using lights to tell you where to find — and replace — your items, Brightbin aims to aid organization with optional object recognition.
Italian computer vision specialist GETCOO is looking to use its machine learning know-how to get your workshop organized, launching a crowdfunding campaign for Brightbin with the aim of never losing track of your stuff again.
"Brightbin allows you to digitally catalog your items through a simple and intuitive dashboard," GETCOO's Stefano Berti explains. "Brightbin is the link between your digital inventory and your physical collection. This, thanks to the innovative Pick-to-Light and Put-to-Light functions, which allow you to instantly locate the correct location of each item."
The idea behind the system is simple: a Brightbin controller is connected to a series of LEDs, which are inserted wherever you store your items — drawers, cupboards, shelves, whatever. When an item is placed into storage, the dashboard is used to keep track of where it went. Should you then want to retrieve the item in the future, just search for it from the dashboard — and the location will light up to guide your way. Finally, when you're finished you can use the system again to make sure the item finds its way back to the correct location.
The company is making the Brightbin system available in three variants: the Pick to Light Device (P2LD) is a plug-and-play add-on for cabinets, available in a range of sizes and designed for minimum installation effort; the Pick to Light Kit (P2LK) comes as a do-it-yourself kit for storage locations the P2LD won't fit; and the Pick to Light Controller (P2LD) is just the microcontroller side of things, packing a NodeMCU ESP8266 in a custom housing — leaving the buyer the job of picking up compatible LED strips, wires, and connectors.
Given GETCOO's experience in the computer vision field, there's no surprise to see a fourth, optional, component to the system: the Brightbin Scanner. "The Scanner allows you to identify the items of your inventory thanks to our proprietary computer vision AI technology DART," Berti explains. "It consists of a lightbox equipped with a high-resolution camera and LEDs for illuminating the item perfectly."
The company has launched a campaign on Kickstarter for the Brightbin system, with physical rewards starting at €49 (around $49) for the controller alone — with a one-year subscription to the service included, after which the subscription will renew at €36 (around $36) a year. All physical rewards are expected to ship in February 2023, GETCOO has confirmed.