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Although barcodes are currently utilized mainly to keep track of merchandise, they may soon also be used to detect counterfeit goods. We're not talking about ordinary barcode labels, however. Instead, British scientists at Sofmat Ltd and the University of Bradford have devised a new 3D barcode that's actually molded into plastic or composite items.
The system utilizes tiny pins that are integrated into the mold from which the product is made. Each pin can be set to different heights via micro actuators, with each 0.4-micron increment in height corresponding to a specific letter or numeral (0 - 9). The current prototype consists of a four-pin array, allowing for over 1.7 million unique configurations.
The resulting indentations in the finished item are difficult to see and impossible to feel, yet can be read using a white light interferometer or a laser-scanning confocal microscope – a compact laser scanner is in the works, which could wirelessly transmit readings to a smartphone or tablet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 16 2015, @12:05AM
"The resulting indentations in the finished item are difficult to see and impossible to feel" So that means for 99% of the people buying the stuff, they will never know. Much like counterfeit cash, most people dont know its not real, so it spends just like it is.
And of course there are those that dont care if its not real. They cant afford ( or rationalize the cost ) the 'real thing' so copies is all they get.
(Score: 2) by Dunbal on Wednesday September 16 2015, @12:42AM
Precisely what I thought. This is something that would serve a pharmaceutical company with its own internal supply chain, or say a government health service buying bulk medication. I don't see the little pharmacist much less the customer justifying the cost of specialized equipment just to make sure the pills he bought are real. On the other hand the scary implication is that pharmaceutical companies or large distributors aren't sure that the medication they are receiving is what they are supposed to be receiving thanks to globalization. But the end users are paying (through the nose) for the pills anyway...