A Morphology and Ergonomics Informed Approach to Unobtrusive RFID Tagging in Hand Tools

Abstract

Residential maintenance and home repair rely on timely access to appropriate hand tools, yet tool-related disruptions remain frequent, increasing cognitive load and leading to costly search-related time loss. While RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based inventory systems have been proposed, their adoption in real maintenance contexts is constrained by the physical integration layer, where conventional rigid tags suffer from signal degradation near metal surfaces and intrude into ergonomically sensitive grip areas. This paper reframes tool tracking as a design and human factors problem and introduces a morphology and ergonomics grounded approach for integrating RFID tags into hand tools without compromising usability. We propose a three-type morphological taxonomy of axial, planar, and complex tools to structure placement decisions, an ergonomic neutral zone approach to avoid high pressure contact regions, and a flexible tag architecture utilizing silicone or rubber as a dielectric spacer. This flexible encapsulation improves conformability to various tool surfaces and RF (Radio Frequency) performance on metal tools. A multi-faceted evaluation, consisting of a formative survey and interviews with domain experts, suggests strong perceived value for multi-location and shared-tool accountability. However, results also highlight adoption constraints regarding attachment durability and onboarding effort. We discuss design implications for scalable, unobtrusive tool identification and outline future research to quantify the reduction in cognitive load and time loss.

Keywords: RFID, Tool Tracking, Hand Tool Ergonomics, Morphology Taxonomy, Maintenance Workflow, Industrial Design

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007757