The Uniform Code Council (overseers of bar codes) is working out details of a new Electronic Product Code to replace the 25 year old technology. "while today's bar code can say only that it's affixed to a bar of Dial soap, the EPC will actually know which bar. Not to mention when and where the bar was manufactured, how many bars fit on a pallet for shipping, what to do if your kid eats a bar or two, how to best dispose of the packaging, and on and on."
April 2000 Archives
International Paper Co. and Motorola Inc. agreed to a groundbreaking deal to put microchips in the packaging concern's boxes, a big step toward eliminating bar codes and ultimately bringing the entire manufacturing supply chain online.
The US' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is requesting proposals for the development of "Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation." (via Haddock)