Materials monitoring systems, materials management systems and related methods

A materials monitoring system comprising:

• a) a traffic-sensing electronic product-storage unit having:
• i) a storage volume to store multiple materials product items arranged in side-by-side relationship;
• ii) a storage volume defining surface to extend along said side-by-side multiple product items when stored, said stored product items each having a spatial form projecting an outline onto said storage volume defining surface;
• and
• iii) an item activity-sensing subsystem continually to monitor the product items in the storage volume and produce a stored item activity output, said item activity-sensing subsystem including a sensing grid comprising an array of product item sensors distributed in relation to said storage volume defining surface so that each projected outline of a product item on the storage volume surface includes multiple sensors, each said sensor being responsive to the presence of a product item positioned in occluding relationship with the sensor to provide a sensor output, said multiple sensors providing sensor output pattern data indicative of said product item projected outline and useful for determining stored item activity;
• and
• b) a data-processing subsystem to process said sensor output pattern data for said multiple product items and generate product item activity information including product item withdrawal information;
• whereby said materials monitoring system can automatically generate a product traffic report, including withdrawals of product items from said storage volume as said withdrawals are made.