CGT: Smart Packaging

CGT Insider, CGT Webinar

Towards an area of much smarter packaging, Get ready

ICYMI: How ChatGPT Could Overhaul Consumer Goods and Red Flags to Look For

 The best strategy for generative AI is likely cautious experimentation at this point, but learn what the future might hold beyond its present hurdles.

Unilever, Nestle Test Smart Packaging, Vending Machines | Danone Knocks Down Silos

Sustainable, Efficient Use Plastics

Use of plastics is a big deal in petroleum use. 

Sustainable and efficient innovations for the plastics industry

Press release / October 06, 2022

At the world’s largest trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, 14 Fraunhofer units have adopted the “We know plastics” slogan and will be showcasing innovative, sustainable and efficient approaches, solutions and developments for plastics processing. From October 19 to 26, 2022, the topics of circular economy, digital transformation, climate protection and functionalization will take center stage at Booth SC01 in Hall 7.

Shortages of raw material, competition and the lack of skilled workers are among the challenges that the manufacturing industry is currently facing. Researchers are therefore working on energy-efficient and resource-efficient processes for the manufacturing of the future.

Circular economy: reusable transport packaging for food shipments

Circular economy represents the greatest field of action for the plastics and rubber industry. The circular economy of plastics concerns their entire life cycle — from product design, material selection and additives, the circular business model and traceability to added value for customers.

Using reusable transport packaging for B2C food shipping, the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE will showcase its research results and demonstrate solution approaches for circular products. The demonstrator “reusable transport box” combines the potential of circular plastic compounds with innovative manufacturing processes for component production. Newly developed PLA-based monomaterial approaches, bio-based foams with functional additives and odor-optimized recyclates open up promising design opportunities for the realization of circular product designs.  ... ' 

Reshaping into 3D?

Saw this kind of thing proposed for packaging, with an Origami template,  could it work?

 Your Next Wooden Chair Could Arrive Flat, Then Dry into a 3D Shape

American Chemical Society

August 23, 2022

Researchers at Israel's Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a process in which flat wooden shapes produced by three-dimensional (3D) printers can be programmed to transform into complex 3D shapes. The researchers used a water-based “ink” comprised of wood-waste microparticles and plant-based binders in the printers; they found the pathway of the ink, print speed, and stacking of printed layers determined the final shape of the printed piece as its moisture content evaporates, and that these factors can be controlled to produce different shapes. Said Eran Sharon, one of the project’s principal investigators, “We hope to show that under some conditions we can make these elements responsive—to humidity, for example—when we want to change the shape of an object again.”  .... '

Practical Holograms?

Ever since seeing early versions of holographic images ay Disney World have thought of their uses, both in interaction with consumers, and as a means to graphically  interact with complex analytic data.  In the 90s participated in a SIGGRAPH panel regarding their uses. Especially their use as s means of very engaging packaging and advertising.   Here an excellent update.

Holograms on the Horizon?    By Chris Edwards

Communications of the ACM, November 2021, Vol. 64 No. 11, Pages 14-16   10.1145/3484998

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have used machine learning to reduce the processing power needed to render convincing holographic images, making it possible to generate them in near-real time on consumer-level computer hardware. Such a method could pave the way to portable virtual-reality systems that use holography instead of stereoscopic displays.

Stereo imagery can present the illusion of three-dimensionality, but users often complain of dizziness and fatigue after long periods of use because there is a mismatch between where the brain expects to focus and the flat focal plane of the two images. Switching to holographic image generation overcomes this problem; it uses interference in the patterns of many light beams to construct visible shapes in free space that present the brain with images it can more readily accept as three-dimensional (3D) objects.

"Holography in its extreme version produces a full optical reproduction of the image of the object. There should be no difference between the image of the object and the object itself," says Tim Wilkinson, a professor of electrical engineering at Jesus College of the U.K.'s University of Cambridge.

Conventional holograms based on photographic film can capture interference patterns that work over a relatively wide viewing range, but cannot support moving images. A real-time hologram uses a spatial-light modulator (SLM) to alter either the amplitude or phase of light, generally provided by one or more lasers, passing through it on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Today's SLMs are nowhere near large or detailed enough to create holographic images that can be viewed at a distance, but they are just good enough right now to create near-eye images in headsets and have been built into demonstrators such as the HoloLens prototype developed by Andrew Maimone and colleagues at Microsoft Research.

A major obstacle to a HoloLens-type headset lies in the computational cost of generating a hologram. There are three algorithms used today to generate dynamic holograms, each of which has drawbacks. One separates the field of view into layers, which helps reduce computation time but lacks the ability to fine-tune depth. A scheme based on triangular meshes, like those used by games software that render 3D scenes onto a conventional two-dimensional (2D) display, helps cut processing time (although without modifications to handle textures, it lacks realism). The point-cloud method offers the best potential for realism, although at the expense of consuming more cycles. In its purest form, an algorithm traces the light emanating from each point to each pixel in the SLM's replay field. "Light from a single point can diverge to a very wide area. Every single point source creates a sheet of refractions in the replay field," says Wilkinson.

A drawback of the point cloud is that light from every point will not reach every pixel in the target hologram, because it will be blocked by objects in front of it. That calls for software to remove the paths that should be occluded, which increases the number of branches in the code. Though it removes the need to map the light from every point onto every pixel in the SLM, the checks and branches slow down execution. Photorealistic holograms intended for use as codec test images, created using a method developed by David Blinder, a post-doctoral researcher at Belgium's Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and colleagues, take more than an hour to render using an nVidia Titan RTX graphics processing unit. However, numerous optimizations have been proposed that reduce arithmetic precision and the steps required, with some loss of quality, to achieve real-time performance on accelerated hardware.

The MIT approach uses several approximations and optimizations built around a deep neural network (DNN) made up of multiple convolutional layers that generate the image from many subholograms. This involves far fewer calculations than trying to map a complete point cloud directly to a final complete hologram. In conventional optimizations, lookup tables of diffraction patterns can help build those subholograms more quickly, but it is still an intensive process.

The DNN allows a more progressive approach to assembling the final image, which results in fewer calculations, particularly as the network can handle occlusion. The team trained the model on images of partially occluded objects and their sub-hologram patterns. The resulting algorithm can deliver images at a rate of just over 1Hz using the A13 Bionic accelerators in the iPhone 11 Pro. Without the computational optimizations provided by the DNN, the researchers suggest processing would take at least two orders of magnitude longer.   ... ' 

More on Eastman Procter Partnership

 Was linked to additional information: 

Procter & Gamble partners with Eastman to reduce virgin plastic use By Julia Wray in CosmeticsBusiness

The companies will collaborate to expand infrastructure to boost plastic recycling rates in the US

FMCG giant Procter & Gamble has pledged to use materials made by Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies to reduce its use of virgin plastic from fossil fuels.

P&G will also collaborate with the specialty materials business on advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing the reliance on virgin plastic and enabling a circular economy.

Eastman’s Eastman Renew materials are made via molecular recycling technologies which use waste plastic that would otherwise go to landfill.

"Eliminating waste plastic from our environment is a complex global challenge that requires a comprehensive, collaborative approach across the entire plastics lifecycle," Lee Ellen Drechsler, Procter & Gamble Senior Vice President of R&D, commented.

"P&G is taking a thoughtful approach to addressing the collection, processing, revitalisation and reuse of materials.  ... ' 

Molecular Recycling with Eastman at P&G

 Most interesting as I worked in this in the future analysis of this space at P&G.  Good to see the continued advances made.

Eastman molecular recycling technologies to advance Procter & Gamble packaging goals 

Innovative Eastman Renew materials reduce reliance on virgin plastic packaging

KINGSPORT, Tenn. and CINCINNATI, Aug. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Eastman (NYSE: EMN) announced that it has entered an agreement with Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) to further accelerate the transformation of plastic packaging and collaborate on recycling solutions to enable a circular economy. P&G will use Eastman Renew materials in select products and packaging, supporting both companies' goals to reduce the use of virgin plastic from fossil resources. Additionally, the companies will collaborate on advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on virgin plastic and enabling a circular economy for many products people depend on daily. 

Lee Ellen Drechsler, senior vice president of R&D at Procter & Gamble.

Scott Ballard, division president of Plastics at Eastman.

Procter & Gamble

"Eliminating waste plastic from our environment is a complex global challenge that requires a comprehensive, collaborative approach across the entire plastics lifecycle. P&G is taking a thoughtful approach to addressing the collection, processing, revitalization, and reuse of materials. That's why we selected Eastman's molecular recycling technologies which enable former waste to be transformed into useful products," explained Lee Ellen Drechsler, Procter & Gamble Senior Vice President of R&D. 

Eastman Renew materials are made via Eastman's molecular recycling technologies using waste plastic that, without this technology, would end up in landfills. These advanced recycling technologies are a complement to traditional recycling, expanding the types and amounts of plastics that can be recycled. This gives materials an extended useful life and diverts plastic waste from landfills or the environment. 

In addition to packaging innovation, P&G and Eastman will collaborate on initiatives addressing the infrastructure needed to increase plastic recycling rates. These efforts will complement the current recycling streams in the United States and enable additional recycling options for consumers eager to help solve the plastic waste problem. The two companies will work to expand the collection of hard-to-recycle plastics, further diverting waste from landfills. These expanded recycling streams will be used to create new materials via Eastman's molecular recycling technologies.  ... ' 

Bioactive Paper for Food Packaging

for Reducing plastic waste

Bioactive paper coatings to replace plastic for packaging foods

Press Release:  Research News / May 03, 2021

The amount of plastic waste increases every year. Some of this waste is due to plastic packaging used to protect food. As part of the “BioActiveMaterials” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed an eco-friendly coating for paper packaging. With this, not only is plastic saved, but the coating of plant-based proteins and waxes also extends the shelf life of the food. After use, the packaging can be placed in the waste paper recycling bin for disposal.

A resealable bag made of paper with the coating on the inside. After use, the packaging is placed in the waste paper recycling bin with the bioactive materials.

In the coating process, the paper is guided over rolls and provided with the “BioActive Materials”. These are supplied in the form of an aqueous dispersion.

Nowadays, those who shop for food in discount stores will almost always be buying plastic packaging as well. The vast majority of sausage, cheese, meat and fish is pre-packed. Fresh fruit, salad and vegetables too often come in plastic packaging. This method is hygienic and protects the food on its journey to the home. However, mineral oil-based plastics are contributing to the growing waste mountain. In Germany, a total of 38.5 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per capita was generated in 2017 alone. This plastic waste floats on the oceans or is exported to Asian or African countries for disposal. Exposed to environmental factors, these large plastic items break down into microplastics, which eventually make their way into the food chain. Reducing plastic packaging in the food sector as well, then, is a matter of necessity.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV and the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB have now presented an innovative and sustainable solution for food packaging. Just as with conventional packaging, it keeps the food fresher for longer. The new packaging, though, involves no plastic whatsoever. After use, it can be recycled without a problem.

Proteins, waxes and antioxidants extend the shelf life of the food

In the “BioActiveMaterials” project, the researchers use paper as the base material for producing typical and functional packaging materials: resealable bags or wrapping paper. The paper is provided with a special coating using standard processes. The researchers make this coating from proteins and waxes with biobased additives. The special formulation of this coating, which offers long-term stability, performs several functions at the same time. “First, the proteins act as an oxygen barrier layer while the waxes form a water vapor barrier, preventing fruit, for example, from drying out quickly. Second, the biobased additives have an antioxidative and antimicrobial effect. This stops meat and fish spoiling as quickly. Overall, the food has a much longer shelf life,” explains Dr. Michaela Müller, Head of the Functional Surfaces and Materials Innovation Field at Fraunhofer IGB. The proteins in the coating also play specific roles. They prevent mineral oil permeation from the paper to the food. Recovered paper in particular contains residues of mineral oil-containing printer’s ink.

An Internet of Plastic, Wireless Things?

 Now here is something quite different.  Thinking packaging applications. Others? 

Here Comes the Internet of Plastic Things, No Batteries or Electronics Required

IEEE Spectrum, Dexter Johnson,  October 8, 2020

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have developed a technique for three-dimensionally (3D) printing plastic objects that communicate with Wi-Fi devices without batteries or electronics. The method applies Wi-Fi backscatter technology to 3D geometry to create easy-to-print wireless devices using commodity 3D printers. The researchers built non-electronic analogues for each electronic component using plastic filaments, then integrated them into a single computational design. Explained UW’s Shyam Gollakota, “We are using mechanism actuation to transmit information wirelessly from these plastic objects.” The team has released its computer-aided design (CAD) models to 3D-printing hobbyists so that they can create their own Internet of Things objects.   ... " 

CAS Signs Enterprise Agreement with P&G

Considerable agreement for data and process workflow.

CAS announces signing of multi-year enterprise agreement with P&G
Agreement expands long-term partnership to support CPG leader’s commitment to disruptive innovation.

Global access to leading scientific information solutions portfolio informs business strategy and fuels efficient R&D to deliver superior consumer product performance  

Columbus, Ohio - September 1, 2020 – CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society specializing in scientific information solutions, today announced they have signed a multi-year agreement with global consumer packaged goods leader The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) providing P&G enterprise-wide access to a comprehensive portfolio of CAS scientific information solutions.

P&G is recognized as a leading innovator in the CPG industry across multiple product categories including beauty care, paper products, fabric care, home care, and health. The company was recently named one of Forbes Most Innovative Companies and led the HolyGrail project that won the Best Sustainable Packaging Award for 2019. “Comprehensive and efficient access to research data are critical for our innovation process,” said Gerard Baillely, Senior Vice President of Research & Development, Corporate Functions for P&G. “CAS’s expanding portfolio of products and services helps us make better decisions throughout our R&D workflow from early-stage research to commercialization so we can develop better, safer solutions for our consumers that improve their quality of life.” 

P&G has relied on CAS information solutions for decades. This new agreement expands that commitment by opening access to CAS’s most advanced solutions to enhance productivity across many sectors. R&D teams will benefit from additional content, workflow features, and predictive design capabilities that have been proven to reduce the time spent on key research tasks by at least 50%. .... " 

Analytics, meet the Cardboard Box

Here is an forgotten piece of the supply chain.  I removed a dozen or of these ancient ideas off the front porch already this holiday season.   So how do we address the problem?   Optimize the use?    Some of our very earliest assignments in the enterprise.    Some thoughts:

Analytics Meets the Cardboard Box    in Statistics.com

“Do you have a bag?“ or “Would you like a bag?” have become common parts of the brick-and-mortar retail transaction.  Reusable bags, or simply doing without, have reduced the flow of plastic and paper into recycling.  

E-commerce is a different matter.  I just unpacked a box of wine, and dealing with the protective spacers and heavy-duty box took 10 minutes and consumed most of the space in my recycling bin. 

The shipper, NakedWines.com, is a California startup that “disintermediates” the wine business, the way Uber and Lyft disintermediated the taxi and limo businesses – by substituting analytics and AI for middlemen.  For example:

recommender systems boost sales
network flow algorithms optimize shipping routes
linear and integer programming algorithms optimize fulfillment center operations
predictive models anticipate demand, permitting optimal stocking of inventory at fulfillment centers

The (over)use of packaging materials has not, I think, received such attention.  ...

Enhanced Packaging via Google Lens

Enhancing packaging with scans?  I thought this had been done already with QR codes, I still see it on packages.   Google lens can be found on IOS and Android.   You point it at a package, I assume anywhere on the package,  and you will be linked to their information.    We tested related watermarking ideas.  This also assumes you know about the linkage, probably from an ad.  But you could have done the same with a QR code. Difference appears to be that you don't have to find a QR to scan.

Uncle Ben's Adds Google Lens to Packaging      By Jacqueline Barba - 09/18/2019

Mars Inc.’s Uncle Ben’s has teamed with connected food platform Innit to launch an artificial intelligence-driven initiative that leverages the Google Lens visual search technology to connect digital information to physical products and unlock meal solutions.

The partnership makes Uncle Ben’s the first food brand to adopt Google Lens, an image recognition technology designed to let users access relevant information related to objects the device identifies using visual analysis and "search what they see," according to a media release from Innit.

In this case, Uncle Ben’s is using the technology to help consumers “cut through the clutter” of meal planning by instantly delivering recommendations, information and inspiration about physical products in stores and homes.

To activate, users open either the Google mobile app on iOS devices or the Google Lens app on Android devices, and point their device at Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice packages and retail displays. Innit will then instantly suggest meals that can be built around the product, along with ingredient lists, nutrition advice and step-by-step cooking videos.  .... "

Advanced Packaging Solutions

One of our favorite topics in innovation space enhancement of both protection and consumer engagement.

Packaging solutions: Poised to take off?  in McKinsey

Major trends are reshaping packaging solutions—and that could open new opportunities for players that are prepared to move fast.

By Paolo Baldesi, David Feber, Nick Santhanam, Paolo Spranzi, Abir Tewari, and Shekhar Varanasi 

In the early 19th century, the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs to the inventor who could create the best container for preserving food for Napoleon’s army and navy. That contest gave rise to the tin can. The number of packaging innovations that have surfaced since that time are too numerous to count. Just a few notable examples are gable-topped milk  

Packaging originally served as just a container, but its role has evolved to include more sophisticated functions, such as advertising. Some packaging is so iconic and easily recognizable that consumers automatically look for it when shopping. Recently companies have begun investigating smart packaging equipped with sensors. The packaging industry has evolved as well. Packaging solutions (PS) is now a $900 billion market and an important segment within the broader industrial sector. Within PS, players are classified as either packaging converters, which produce or provide materials for packaging, or equipment companies. (For an insider view of the industry and its evolution, see our video with WestRock CEO Steve Voorhees). .... "

Towards Engaging Packaging

Recall being pitched a similar idea for product packaging, this seems to take it further.  Now could deeper information be communicated this way?

Creating 3-D images, with regular ink
MIT startup Lumii helps manufacturers replicate the visual effects of holograms on their printed materials.

By Zach Winn | MIT News Office 

This month, 5,000 distinctive cans of Fuzzy Logic beer will appear on local shelves as part of Massachusetts-based Portico Brewing’s attempt to stand out in the aesthetically competitive world of craft beer.

The cans feature eye-catching arrays of holographic triangles that appear three dimensional at certain angles. Curious drinkers might twist the cans and guess how Portico achieved the varying, almost shining appearance. Were special lenses or foils used? Are the optical effects the result of an expensive, holographic film?

It turns out it takes two MIT PhDs to fully explain the technology behind the can’s appearance. The design is the result of Portico’s collaboration with Lumii, a startup founded by Tom Baran SM ’07 PhD ’12 and Matt Hirsch SM ’09, PhD ’14.

Lumii uses complex algorithms to precisely place tens of millions of dots of ink on two sides of clear film to create light fields that achieve the same visual effects as special films and lenses. The designs add depth, motion, and chromatic effect to packages, labels, IDs, and more.  ... " 

Customizing Computer-Aided Desgn

Interesting because some of the earliest work we did could be called constrained, innovative design.  Most notably in package design, using 3D CAD. Good detail in this space, especially with regard to more modern constraints.

Customizing computer-aided design
System breaks down complex designs into easily modifiable shapes for custom manufacturing and 3-D printing.

Rob Matheson | MIT News Office 

MIT researchers have devised a technique that “reverse engineers” complex 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) models, making them far easier for users to customize for manufacturing and 3-D printing applications.

Nearly all commercial products start as a CAD file, a 2-D or 3-D model with the product’s design specifications. One method that’s widely used to represent today’s 3-D models is constructive solid geometry (CSG), a technique where numerous basic shapes, or “primitives,” with a few adjustable parameters can be assembled in various ways to form a single object. When finalized, the compiled digital object is converted to a mesh of 3-D triangles that defines the object’s shape. These meshes are used as input for many applications, including 3-D printing and virtual simulation.

Customizing that mesh, however, is no easy task. For example, adjusting the radius in one portion of the object requires individually tweaking the vertices and edges of each affected triangle. With complex models comprising thousands of triangles, customization becomes daunting and time consuming. Traditional techniques to convert triangle meshes back into shapes don’t scale well to complex models or work accurately on low-resolution, noisy files.  ... "

Here Come the New Neural Sticks

This was brought up before, but the idea seems to have advanced.    A trained 'stick' that contains the AI needed for Edge applications.   Faster now it implies to deliver the network needed.  Somewhat narrow?  Like they said for Drones and IOT.    Or say if you wanted packaging to be smart? I like the direction.

Intel Aims to Simplify AI with ‘Neural Stick’ Update   By Alex Woodie in Datanami

Intel today unveiled an upgraded Neural Compute Stick that it claims will dramatically simplify the roll-out of neural network inference applications in drones, IoT, and edge devices.

It may look like a standard USB thumb drive, but the Neural Computer Stick 2 (NCS2) that Intel unveiled today at its AI conference in Beijing is much more than that. In fact, the little device boasts a Myriad X vision processing unit (VPU) manufactured by Intel’s subsidiary Movidius, which powers a neural network used for predictive applications.

Intel’s NCS devices are designed to simplify the roll-out of AI technologies in edge devices. A data scientist equipped with a laptop can convert pre-trained deep learning models onto the NCS device, which plugs into any standard USB 3.0 port.

The NCS is designed primarily (but not solely) for computer vision and related applications. The neural network running in the NCS enable developers to build applications that can identify and classify objects at a high level of accuracy.  

Intel says that since it launched the original NCS in 2017, more than 10,000 developers have used the technology — along with the associated Intel Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit — to build AI applications that tackle real world challenges.  ... " 

Tiny, Disposable CPUs for the IOT

I like the idea that these CPUs will be embedded, even disposable.   In packaging for example.  Something we suggested in retail.    Bringing computing power closer to the edge.   Still not powerful by modern standards.

IBM’s latest computer is a blockchain-ready CPU smaller than a grain of salt  in DigitalTrends.

IBM kicked off its Think 2018 conference today with a bombshell announcement: It has made the world’s smallest computer, and it’s designed from the ground up to work with the blockchain. The computer itself is smaller than a single grain of salt, coming in at 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter and reportedly has about the same computing power as a 1990s era CPU.

“The world’s smallest computer is an IBM-designed edge device architecture and computing platform that is smaller than a grain of salt will cost less than ten cents to manufacture, and can monitor, analyze, communicate, and even act on data,” IBM claims. “It packs several hundred thousand transistors into a footprint barely visible to the human eye and can help verify that a product has been handled properly throughout its long journey. ... 

.... Essentially, these CPUs will be embedded in tags or product packaging, and they’ll log every movement the product makes, from shipment to delivery. They could also be used to ensure the authenticity of luxury goods. .... 

“ ... These technologies pave the way for new solutions that tackle food safety, authenticity of manufactured components, genetically modified products, identification of counterfeit objects, and provenance of luxury goods,” Krishna continues. .... " 

MIT: An Ink that is a Sensor

Possible packaging applications.

MIT researchers made a living ink that responds to its surroundings
The 3D-printed, bacteria-loaded gel can be used as a sensor.

By Mallory Locklear, @mallorylocklear

Researchers at MIT have developed a 3D printable hydrogel that can sense and respond to stimuli. The hydrogel is loaded with bacteria that can be genetically programmed to light-up when they come in contact with certain chemicals and, therefore, could be used as living sensors.

To demonstrate the living ink's abilities, the researchers printed the hydrogel in a tree pattern with different sections of the tree's branches containing bacteria sensitive to different types of chemicals. They then smeared those chemicals on a person's skin and put the 3D-printed tree-shaped "living tattoo" on top. When the branches came in contact with those chemicals, the bacteria were triggered to fluoresce. .... " 

A Theory of Origami

A continued follow of the idea, we examined it for possible packaging applications.

The Atomic Theory of Origami  In Quantum Magazine
By Marcus Woo    Contributing Writer

By re imagining the kinks and folds of origami as atoms in a lattice, researchers are uncovering strange behavior hiding in simple structures. .... "

Bezier Curves for the Grocery Shelf

A quite technical and visual point in O'Reilly.  And just to note how such methods can interact with the mundane, we used Bezier Curves for designing packaging for supermarket products.  A nice example of Python too.

Overlaying Bézier curves
An algorithm that generates Bézier curves using an increasing number of control points.  ... By Mike Loukides  .... " 

RFID Enabled Packaging

Continue to follow RFID solutions.  We tested many alternatives in our labs.

Prime Vision to Offer RFID-enabled Packaging System
The solution provider hopes to improve tampering detection and tracking for packages by using Thinfilm's Near Field Communication technology.
By Nathaniel Prince

Feb 03, 2017—Electronics manufacturer Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) and Dutch logistics solutions provider Prime Vision are teaming up to develop an RFID-enabled smart packaging system. Prime Vision is utilizing Thinfilm's OpenSense and SpeedTap Near Field Communication (NFC) tags as it develops its new solution.

Prime Vision's inspiration stemmed from the fact that the ability for customers to determine whether a package has been tampered with is essentially non-existent in the industry at present, according to Freek Smoes, the company's director of innovation. "Because of the increased popularity of e-shopping," he says, "more parcels are being shipped than ever before, and we therefore see a strong need for a solution that can track parcels as they move from the e-commerce company to the consumer."  .... "