The Auto-ID Center is developing a "smart tag" technology for embedding intelligence, identity, and Internet connectivity into everyday objects that will revolutionize the supply chain.
A 96-bit code of numbers called an Electronic Product Code (ePC) is embedded in a memory chip (smart tag) on individual products. Each smart tag is scanned by a wireless radio frequency "reader," which transmits the product's embedded identity code to the Internet, where the "real" information on the product is kept. That information is then communicated back from cyberspace to provide whatever information is needed about that product.
This information will help businesses save billions of dollars in lost, stolen, or wasted products. For example, Electronic Product Code (ePC) tags embedded into products will allow companies to pinpoint in real time batches of ground turkey that need to be recalled or replaced, reducing health risks to consumers. Monitoring "smart" recycling centers will help manufacturers determine how to make environmentally friendly products. Theft will be drastically reduced because items will report when they are stolen, their smart tags also serving as a homing device toward their exact location.
Benefits to consumers will be equally dramatic. Shoppers will be able to point their scanner-equipped cell phones at a product and learn about its features from the manufacturer's web site while they're in the store. Shopping will no longer involve long, tedious lines at the checkout counter because items are scanned and billed to your pre-selected personal account as you leave the store. And smart shelves will tell manufacturers when to restock items so that consumers will always have access to the things they need.
Auto-ID technology will redefine the global market supply chain by embedding intelligence, identity, and Internet connectivity into everyday objects. The ePC unites all elements of the entire supply chain, making it an interactive, dynamic cycle from raw material and distribution to purchase and recycling-and back to raw material. Products wearing smart tags will interact with each other, and the manufacturer will be able to view an optimally efficient cycle of direct, real-time supply and demand.
The ePC will enable the supply chain (which accounts for 75% of a product's cost) to be intelligent and automated, saving companies billions of dollars while enabling them to meet consumer needs directly and quickly. Products across the globe will have an electromagnetic link to the Internet, where consumers and businesses can access information ranging from recycling instructions and recipes, to consumer trends and theft alerts.
