The growing "magic" of automatic identification

Abstract

Automatic identification represents a set of technologies that seems to work like magic. It's knowing instantly what's in a crate from 30 feet away; talking or looking into a machine that will automatically unlock a door; laser zapping a simple stamp-sized paper-and-ink symbol that describes an entire truck's contents; or instantly identifying a fingerprint-an unalterable and unique personal key to secure banking. Diverse auto ID technologies have, in fact, become so seamless and transparent to the end user that they do perform business magic for countless corporations and institutions around the world, reducing errors and speeding up processes and delivery by times, resulting in major cost savings up and down the supply chain, and really providing tools that allow people to do their job more effectively. From barcodes, to biometrics and beyond, the future holds exciting challenges and opportunities for the field of auto ID.