Someday soon, liquid crystal lasers that can be printed onto product labels could join the arsenal of weapons being used to combat counterfeit goods. These lasers reflect light in a way that can distinguish the real deal from laser-less, fraudulent knockoffs.
Detecting the printed lasers is as easy as scanning a price tag at a grocery store checkout counter. Damian Gardiner, a physicist and engineer at the University of Cambridge, recently demonstrated the method on a package of Chinese tea with a printed laser label. He aimed a detector at the mark on the box. A clean, clear spike popped up on his computer screen indicating that the package was legit.
via Wired
Image: Nadia Drake
