The Very Latest in Stealth Technology
Bar codes, one of the most visible signs of the computer age, may be going underground.
A Japanese company, Hitachi Maxwell, says it has developed bar codes that are invisible--or just slightly visible, if users prefer.
“We can make bar codes so they don’t intrude on the packaging of products like cosmetics, where they can detract from the design,” Hitachi Maxwell spokesman Hideyuki Noda said Wednesday.
Invisible bar codes could be used on credit cards as a means of identification that would be difficult to counterfeit, he said.
The new bar codes are printed with a special ink containing a hard-to-duplicate phosphor made of rare earth compounds, Noda said. By varying the mixture, the visibility of the codes can be changed. Special readers use infrared light to sense the patterns. The new system is likely to cost about 20% more.
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