Printed lasers set to make products fraud resistant
1 min read
A detection device which uses printed lasers to identify counterfeit goods has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, who say that it could help to make products more resistant to fraud.
Devised by a team led by Dr Damian Gardiner, the anti fraud detector demonstrates an approach which could be employed to identify fake pharmaceuticals and currency, as well as high value goods.
It works by exploiting a method for creating liquid crystal lasers using inkjet printers. This is said to give a precise level of control over the laser's pattern and colour combination.
The detector takes advantage of this by shining a second laser pulse on to the printed one. It then reads the wavelength of the light emission from the printed laser through special software and reproduces that reading as a pattern on a spectrograph.
Each printed laser can be designed to provide a unique optical signature and, because the lasers can be printed on to all sorts of surfaces, the technique could be used to authenticate a wide range of products.
"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are sold fake pharmaceuticals under the mistaken belief that they will help them, while counterfeit products cost companies hundreds of billions of pounds," Dr Gardiner said. "We think that our printed lasers could be used to protect both products and people."
