Hello Everyone I am in need of some assistance for a project I am trying to build to help a friend starting a new business. He is wanting to create a display wall in his new store that is interactive to the the products displayed. Basically he wants to have shelves built around a 42" monitor and display products on the shelves. When a product is picked up, a product data sheet would instantly display on the monitor. I was thinking of maybe using reed switches on the shelves with small magnets attached to the product. My issue is finding software for Windows and a USB/Serial type I/O device that would accomplish this task.

Example - Customer comes in and removes a Scanner Radio from the shelf, poof a data sheet say in a JPG format is instantly displayed on the monitor. Customer places the Scanner Radio back onto the shelf and the monitor pops back to a standard store name/logo image.

Any help on existing hardware/software solutions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thank you

 

Do the products in questions already have RFID tags attached? Just about everything has a UPC code on the package. Maybe these would allow detecting what a customer is holding.

How about a simple photocell gap, where the product normally sits in a position that interrupts the beam. Actually I think you could mount a reflective pair underneath so that the transmitter and detector both point up at the product. If it's not there, no signal. That way, there's no need to alter the product in any way.

Thanks to DickCappels for the picture

 

To interface the sensor to a standard PC you can use an inexpensive I/O module such as one of these.

 

Another choice. Easy to program and work with, although anything is going to have a learning curve to fight your way up.

 

Crutschow and Wayneh,

Thank You for the responses! I had not come across those products in my poor excuse for Google searching. They come alot closer to meeting my needs. Now I guess I order a couple and start trying to write the program to operate them. Once again Thank You!