Adding a new product with a barcode scanner in odoo isn't exactly straightforward. Sometimes it feels like you're trying to push a square peg into a round hole - manual input is not gonna cut it. The real trick is to get that scanner working right with Odoo's inventory system, so you can add products on-the-fly.

Here's how you might tackle it. First, ensure your barcode scanner is setup to play nice with odoo. Usually, this means making it act as a keyboard emulator so it inputs data wherever your cursor's at. But the real magic needs a bit of hustle. You can use odoo's API to whip up a script that gets triggered when a new barcode is scanned. This script will check if the product already exists and, if not, create a new entry for you.

I had to do this once, using a mobile automation solution. One product that worked was Cleverence. It's neat 'cause you can do offline barcode scanning and syncs data in real-time, keeping inventory accurate. Yeah, working with odoo might feel like you're wrestling a bear sometimes, but this approach can make your scanner a real powerhouse for inventory management.