Next: kimchi with microchips

Perhaps coming soon, a grocery shopper will load all her selections into a cart equipped with a screen that displays all the information, including the price, about the items. She pays at the register without a human being to scan the bar codes on her purchases; there is no waiting in line ― just a walk-through channel. That homemaker’s dream could be possible in a few years. The Ministry of Information and Communication said yesterday that it would invest 38 billion won ($32 million) during the next four years in the development of wideband wireless communications and sensor technologies and establishing “ubiquitous” sensor networks here to make such scenarios a reality. New microchips, as small as a sesame seed, will be attached to all the products in a store. They would contain price and product information about each item on the shelves. These “radio frequency identification tags” are already in production and commercially viable. They transmit and receive radio signals sent by special readers. When the tags receive a certain query, they respond by transmitting the codes for that query to the readers. Most of the microchips do not need batteries; they are powered by the radio signals that wake them up. The chips cost as much as 50 U.S. cents, but prices are dropping. The tags are expected to bring significant changes to shopping and shipping. In a store, customers and checkout clerks, for example, can instantly calculate the customer’s total bill on a readout of the signals sent by all the goods in the cart. Although most of these radio signals are designed to be read from a distance of a few inches to a few feet, the devices could also be used to track the location of products being delivered if the signals are powerful enough. The technology is already used in other applications. Drivers in some countries can pass through toll booths without stopping, and a card waved near a reader can open a door. Another use for the technology is in wireless communication among electronic gadgets. Equipment using the tags and sensors can share data, and computers and audio equipment can be connected wirelessly. The government plans to allocate a slice of the radio spectrum in the 5-gigahertz band to standardize and encourage production. The ministry said logistics costs could be reduced by 20 percent with the technology. by Limb Jae-un