Development of Laboratory Equipment Inventory System Using Radio Frequency and Internet of Things

The purpose of this research is to create a laboratory equipment inventory system. With this system, users, namely lecturers, lab assistants, and final project students, can find out the borrower's data, borrowing time, return time, and the tool availability status. The research method used is experimental. This system is based on IoT technology. The main brain from the hardware side uses the NodeMCU ESP8266. NodeMCU, apart from being a controller, can also function as a WiFi module. On the server-side, PHP and MySQL are used. When the user wants to borrow a tool, the user can use an RFID tag to open the cupboard. Furthermore, the NodeMCU will continue to scan for the presence of items in the cupboard using a radio frequency with RF433MHz. This information is sent to the server when the cupboard is closed and locked automatically. The server will receive the information and decipher the information. As a result, the testing process in this study proved that the system has been able to detect the presence of items in the cupboard and track anyone who borrows laboratory equipment with a 100% success percentage

Iot-based computer laboratory equipment tracking system: a case of Université du lac Tanganyika

A Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Award the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyIn today’s digital age, computer laboratories’ adoption in academic institutions and the security of equipment are crucial to ensure their effective functioning and prevent equipment loss or damage. These laboratories have valuable equipment, such as laptops, switches, routers, projectors, printers, and scanners, that require proper security measures to prevent losses or damages. Manual methods such as pen and paper, spreadsheets and tracking software have been commonly used in the past for equipment tracking. However, these approaches have certain limitations, such as being time-consuming, having limited storage and retrieval abilities, and not providing real-time updates. To overcome these challenges and enhance the lab equipment tracking system, the objective of the developed system is to identify the necessary requirements for designing, developing and validating an IoT-based computer lab equipment tracking system to manage high-value lab equipment at Université du Lac Tanganyika (ULT) university and prevent the unauthorised removal of equipment from the laboratory. The study employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to track and identify automatically tags attached to the equipment. This study used Agile’s Scrum framework as a system development approach, and a qualitative research approach, including interviews, observations, and focus group discussions, was used to collect data for the functional and non functional requirements. An ESP32 microcontroller was used to collect and process data from sensors and send the data to the IoT cloud. An Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption and decryption algorithm using a 128-bit key was implemented to ensure the secure transmission of RFID data. The system also features an automatic lock-unlock mechanism to prevent equipment from moving out of the lab without authorisation. A web application with a simple interface was developed for the equipment management system. Ultimately, the system validation process engaged 51 participants comprising IT managers, lab assistants, lab technicians, and lab users. All participants filled out a system evaluation form which resulted in positive responses. The results of the system validation analysis indicate an average of 87% of performance, availability, accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness. Therefore, ULT University accepted the system due to its effectiveness, security features, and user-friendly interface