We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • Upload your video
  • BLOGS & MORE
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • SCQ Forum
      • Reflections
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • Upload your video
  • BLOGS & MORE
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • SCQ Forum
      • Reflections
    • Mobile Apps
Home » MIT's "tag of everything" could protect the supply chain
Forward Thinking

MIT's "tag of everything" could protect the supply chain

February 24, 2020
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
No Comments

Researchers at MIT have developed a millimeter-sized, cryptographic identification (ID) tag that they say represents a giant leap forward in the fight to curb counterfeiting and create a more secure supply chain. Announced at an industry conference earlier this month, the battery-free ID chip is small enough to fit on virtually any product and smart enough to verify its authenticity across complex supply chains, the researchers said.

"We call it the 'tag of everything.' And everything should mean everything," said MIT's Ruonan Han, co-author of a paper on the project presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) February 19 in San Francisco. "If I want to track the logistics of, say, a single bolt or tooth implant or silicon chip, current RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags don't enable that. We built a low-cost, tiny chip without packaging, batteries, or other external components, that stores and transmits sensitive data."

The 1.6 square-millimeter-sized solution runs on relatively low levels of power supplied by photovoltaic diodes. It also transmits data at far ranges, using a power-free "backscatter" technique that operates at much higher frequencies than traditional tags used to track and authenticate products. Algorithm optimization techniques allow the chip to run a popular cryptography scheme that guarantees secure communications using extremely low energy, the researchers also said.

The hope is that the chip, which the researchers say is inexpensive to manufacture and implement, will help combat the roughly $2 trillion worth of counterfeit goods expected to be sold worldwide this year.

"The U.S. semiconductor industry [suffers] $7 billion to $10 billion in losses annually because of counterfeit chips," said MIT researcher Wasiq Khan, who also worked on the project. "Our chip can be seamlessly integrated into other electronic chips for security purposes, so it could have a huge impact on industry. Our chips cost a few cents each, but the technology is priceless."

  • Related Articles

    Pandemic could level the playing field between small and large companies, MIT’s Yossi Sheffi says

    "Cross-chain control centers" could improve benefits of supply chain technology

    Starbucks adds risk management program to help protect its supply chain

Recent Articles by Supply Chain Quarterly Staff

Reports: Outlook calls for stronger supply chains

Gartner: 4 ways to compete with industry disruptors

Survey reveals there’s plenty of room for improvement in e-commerce fulfillment

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Will this be the decade of supply chain sustainability?

  • The 3PL industry: time to reset

  • The four characteristics of a customer-centric supply chain

  • Five principles for creating a supply chain foreign exchange risk mitigation strategy

  • Seizing the helm

Featured Video

Be8de8b1 9bd3 48d6 9400 0bf476fd1f5d

Optimization Through Lean Management 

Viewer Contributed
Uncertain times can put a tremendous strain on your business’s people, processes and supply chains. However, operations can mitigate some of these factors by adopting lean management principles and instilling a culture of continuous improvement. Raymond Lean Management Manager of Solutions and Support Centers Keith...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The Top Supply Chain Pains That You Should Address For a Healthier 2021

  • Research Report: New Rules for Supply Chain Insights, Collaboration and Overall Resiliency

  • Logistics 2030 – Navigating a Disruptive Decade (Year 2 Report)

View More

Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

Get Your Subscription
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • E-NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing