Engineers at MIT in the US have developed 3D printed invisible labels that can be used to classify and store data on physical objects. Instead of barcodes affixed to products — which can be removed or worn out over time — tags are read by infrared light cameras.
These labels have the advantage of being imperceptible to the naked eye — as they are in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum — and much more durable, as they can be embedded inside plastic objects made using conventional 3D printers.
“I can easily envision a future where you can point a standard camera at any object and it will give you information about that product — where it was made, the materials used or repair instructions — and you wouldn’t even have to look for a barcode.” , explains the PhD in electrical engineering Mustafa Dogan, lead author of the study.
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3D printing
One option is to produce code by carving tiny air gaps — proxies for zeros and ones — into a single layer of plastic. Another alternative would be to use two different types of plastic, one to transmit infrared light and the other opaque, on which the code can be inscribed.
According to the researchers, the dual material approach is more advantageous because it can provide a clearer, sharper contrast, making it easier to read with a conventional infrared camera. In addition, these tags can contain information in linear (bar codes) or two-dimensional (QR codes) format.
“We’ve developed a user interface that specifies exactly what the tag should look like and where it should appear on an object. Multiple labels can be placed on the same product, making it easier to access information if views from certain angles are obstructed,” adds Dogan.
promising tests
MIT engineers created several prototypes, including bar-coded mugs under a 1-millimeter plastic shell. They also made a prototype Wi-Fi router with invisible tags that reveal the network name or password, depending on the perspective from which it is viewed.
In the future, scientists hope that people will be able to use this technology applied in smartphone cameras to turn lights on and off, control the volume of a speaker or regulate the temperature on a thermostat just by pointing the cell phone at these devices.
“We want to add infrared cameras to augmented reality headsets. Imagine walking through a supermarket wearing these headphones and instantly getting information about the products around you — how many calories are in an individual serving or what is the best recipe to prepare them”, predicts Mustafa Dogan.
