A bag that tracks its contents with RFID

June 1, 2011

One of my in-progess projects in a bag that keeps track of its items with RFID.

Problem

My girlfriend sometimes leaves her cellphone, keys or wallet in random places. She puts the item down when she sits down and forgets to pick it up when we leave.

Solution

I started knitting after getting started with the Arduino. When I discovered the sewable/wearable Arduino LilyPad, I figured I could mix knitting and electronics to make something neat.

I searched Ravelry for a pattern I could modify and discovered the Know It All Bag. This pattern uses the LilyPad for other purposes, but should work for RFID tracking.

The plan so far is to use conductive thread to sew the antenna into the flap that closes the bag, and purchase an Arduino-compatible RFID reader and compact RFID tags that can be attached to phone, keys and wallet.

The bag will also have an accelerometer to detect movement. When the LilyPad detects significant movement, it will check to see if the items are in the bag, and complain if any items are missing.

Current progress is pictured below. I’m not yet a speedy knitter.