Smart pills: 3D barcode system could be used to tackle fake medicines

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/09/smart-pills-3d-barcode-system-could-be-used-to-tackle-fake-medicines

A 3D barcode that is invisible to the naked eye and cannot be detected by touch may be stamped on pills to prevent the widespread counterfeiting of medicines.

Developed by the UK company Sofmat and engineers at the University of Bradford, the barcode would help combat the proliferation of fake pills; the World Health Organisation estimates that up to 10% of medicines globally could be counterfeit, with two-thirds of pills bought online being either fake or sub-standard.

Unveiled at the British Science Festival in Bradford on Wednesday, the system would be used during manufacturing and would imprint each tablet with a series of minuscule pinpricks, which could later be read using a scanner in hospital or at a medical centre before the medication is given to a patient to ensure it firstly has a code, and matches the correct batch and type of pill.

Dr Phil Harrison, the managing director of Sofmat, said the company is in talks with firms in Switzerland and China, but that getting US and UK companies interested is so far proving more difficult....

I WONDER IF A CONSUMER VERSION OF THE READER IS IN THE WORKS...