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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: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday September 16 2015, @05:49AM
No one "manufactures" an apple. Now if my goddamn (what are they called again? The watch that everyone counterfeits?) (Damn, I still cannot think of the brandname! This is such a failure on their part, whoever they are. Here I am, looking to buy a knock-off, and I do not even know what it is that I want a knock-off of! Could it be Gucci? Ugh! Micro$ert? What would be the point? Angie's List? Hmm, might be some action there if you know the right people. Watch. Big. Flashy. Um, , , Rol? Hey, got it! A fake Rolex! Oh, wow, I am so relieved now that I remember what it was that I wanted to fake. But this is the point. Brand names used to be a indicator of quality. Now they are only a indicator of status. Status is very easy to counterfeit, unlike quality. So there is no upside to this. An "authentic" apple has no chance of being much better than a fake one.