Where Will The NFC Label Vs QR Code Be 5 Years From Now?

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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective | Where Will The NFC Label Vs QR Code Be 5 Years From Now?The QR (Quick Response) code has become a prominent feature in our lives, connecting data to products via devices that can be used in a number of ways. While successful for commercial use, it wasn’t until the global pandemic that consumers began to embrace the QR code, even becoming reliant on it to participate in day-to-day activities.

Alongside the QR code, we have the NFC (Near Field Communication) label or tag. This type of technology is featured in multiple places, from shipping to contactless payments, and even providing data.

Each type of technology has its merits, with similar functions that make them useful technology products for businesses and organisations. But as we look to the future, where will the NFC label be versus the QR code five years from now?

The difference between NFC and QR codes

Understanding a little more about the difference between NFC tags and QR codes provides insights into each of their uses and benefits.

NFC tags are a form of microchip capable of storing vital information, performing actions that are time-saving and convenient. This can include contactless payments, providing authentication of products, etc. When encoding NFC tags it is possible to decide if the data contained in them can be changed or not in the future, making them a flexible and secure solution at the same time. In the retail and shipping industries, NFC tags provide accuracy and make inventory tracking much simpler.

QR codes, on the other hand, are a barcode connected to a piece of data (such as a web page, application or a WiFi password). Once the barcode has been created, it will always point to the same things. QR codes have many practical applications that make them easily used by businesses and consumers, proving useful in many ways. However, being based on a graphical representation and not containing any circuit they could be exposed to an easy falsification process. For instance, a simple photocopy would be enough to forge a QR code.

While similar in their function, each product has its own benefits, while being better suited to some applications more than others.

StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective | Where Will The NFC Label Vs QR Code Be 5 Years From Now?Is NFC a more secure solution?

For many companies, NFC provides the added security that can help prevent inventory loss, boost shipment tracking, and much more. A vital component for modern supply chains, they are an excellent way to detect tampering, and ensure that the product received is the genuine article. You can read more about NFC as a popular supply chain tool to see how this technology is changing the industry.

QR codes in the post-COVID era

While many people had largely given up on the QR code, this tech innovation is something that can genuinely say it benefitted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Used by restaurants, governments, and places all over the world, it quickly became the way to share information in a quick and easy format. Its simplicity ensures a lot of potential for businesses, but it’s important to take data concerns into account and ensure that data protection measures are stepped up.

Now that people are used to the technology, NFC and QR codes could each have a place both in the present and the distant future. For businesses looking to simplify processes in an accessible way, there is a lot of value to be found in NFC labels and QR codes, depending on your industry. The future is uncertain, but this innovative technology seems to be here to stay.

Crystal Clear: Pioneering the Last 60 years of Display Technology Innovation & Looking Into the Future

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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Article |Display Technology|Crystal Clear: Pioneering the Last 60 years of Display Technology Innovation & Looking Into the FutureFrom large outdoor interactive screens on buildings to tiny displays in a wristwatch, the display industry has created applications and entire industries over the past 60 years, transforming our entire society. Just take a look at laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and other handheld devices, which were all possible thanks to display technology innovation.

Older TV’s took half the space in your room; now they are like a painting on the wall, and in some cases thinner than a portrait frame. Modern displays are everywhere now – from the back of the seat in an airplane and taxicab, to stadiums and other public venues, tiny kiosks that serve one person at a time, and of course, medical devices, military vehicles, and more. Display innovation can also be found in factory equipment, oil rigs, trains, trucks and boats and airplanes. Other unique display applications include displays embedded in a credit card.

Innovators in this industry are displacing shelf labels in stores, printed signs, and printed timetables at bus stops and train stations.

It has been thrilling to be part of this industry the past 25 years. Right out of engineering school, I worked on vacuum tubes – CRTs ruled then – and later on, monochrome LCD. I got my real start with displays at Standish Industries in Wisconsin, which was a pioneer in wide temperature monochrome TN (twisted nematic)) and STN (super-twisted nematic) LCDs, which was used in a variety of rugged applications.

It was exciting to work on rugged displays that provided valuable information that made them indispensable – from gas pumps to ATMs, parking meters, aircraft displays, and John Deere tractor consoles. Later I was fortunate to work on TFEL displays while at Planar; on early AMLCD while at TFS; best in class AMLCD while at Sharp; on electrophoretic ePaper while at E Ink; and presently, I get to work on every major cutting edge display technology.

One thing I find fascinating about this industry is that you can’t write off any display technology when something new enters the market. Some of these technologies linger on for much longer than you expect; some should have been out of the industry 20 years ago, but they are not – they find niche applications and continue to make a living for someone.

In honor of the Society for Information Display’s (SID) 60th anniversary, I’d like to take a look at some of the display technologies and their impact over the past six decades:

  • CRT (Cathode Ray Tube): Traditionally used for computer monitors and televisions, and also made its way into military and even maritime applications. Demand for CRT screens dropped in the late 2000s, and were replaced by LCD.
  • VF (Vacuum Fluorescent): Originally used in car stereo displays, but has dwindled to obsolescence in the past decade.
  • FED (Field Emission Display): A technology similar to CRT, which relied on electrons striking a phosphor coated surface in a vacuum environment. It did not make it to the mainstream.
  • LED (Light Emitting Diode): Popular in handheld calculators and other similar devices in the 1960s, and moved into digital store signs and bigger outdoor digital signage such as in Las Vegas, continues to dominate the outdoor signage space.
  • TFEL (Thin Film Electroluminescent): Sharp demonstrated TFEL in 1975 and made the first commercial display in 1983. Mainly used in industrial, medical, and rugged applications. The military used this display in the main battle tank, for example.
  • TN and STN LCD Monochrome: This display technology was pretty prevalent until color versions showed up. It is still used in gas pumps, parking meters, and simple appliances.
  • Plasma Display: Some people still refer to flat panel TV’s as plasma. This technology had a short tenure, but paved the way for the next generation of flat TV’s.
  • Projection Displays using DLP/LCoS: They were originally designed when it wasn’t possible to make large-area LCDs. With projectors, you could create a 100-inch image. These displays are still around in older conference rooms and home theaters.
  • AM LCD (Active-Matrix Liquid-Crystal Display): The most impactful and successful in display technology history, boasting about 80% of the global market to the tune of approximately $100 billion. Used in pretty much every application that has a display but has been quickly giving up ground to OLED over the past five years.
  • PMOLED (Passive Matrix OLED – monochrome): OLED technology started out as monochrome and made initial inroads in applications that required higher contrast and faster response. Now it is quickly eroding like monochrome LCD.
  • AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diodes): The second most impactful and successful display technology after AMLCD and is found in personal devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Phone, LG ‘wall-paper like’ TV. This has been the fastest growing technology in the past decade.
  • ePaper: Uses a dual pigment electrophoretic display used in reading applications such as the Amazon Kindle. Low power, and paper like appearance makes this technology valuable.
  • Quantum Dots: This is technically not a display, but it enhances displays by making LCD colors “pop” in TV applications.
  • MiniLED: This small form factor LEDs brings the technology indoors in signage applications where the user is closer to the display than its predecessor, which was used mostly outdoors. This is relatively new and might give way to MicroLEDs and itself relegated to backlight applications.
  • Electrochromic/Electrowetting/MEMS/Electrofluidic/Cholesteric LCD: These technologies all aimed for the broad ‘ePaper’ applications, but that did not quite happen. Some of them, like Electrochromic and Cholesteric LCD, have had modest success in non-display applications like airplane windows, car rear view mirrors, toys, and writing pads.
  • MicroLED: An emerging flat panel display technology that I think holds great promise in the future. It brings some of the most desired display characteristics, and the industry has seized on this opportunity with every major display company working on this tech.

Speaking of the future, I’d like to now dive into some of the display innovation trends I see by the year 2035:

  • AR/VR glasses: These will be ubiquitous and lightweight, much like eyeglasses are today. They will last a long time without having to recharge. The display won’t intrude, it will augment, and its computing power will exceed that of today’s laptops. But it won’t be for everyone.
  • Immersive displays: Holographic and 3D displays could replace the wall the TV is hanging from today; they will also replace the kitchen countertop, the restaurant table, the student desk, and the tray table in an airplane.
  • Auto: The entire windshield will be like a movie screen in autonomous cars; the inside roof will be your display monitor, while the sides of cabs and Uber cars will convey useful information.
  • Conference room: Every video call will replicate a virtual conference room with lifelike 3D images, directional voice, the ability to confer (the chat function is archaic), and the ability to stand up and speak to a room or teach a class where the physical – the virtual class will be seamless.
  • Entertainment: Much like today’s surround sound, we will have surround visual displays, which will be like IMAX theaters but in each home, car and airplane seat.
  • Buildings and Roads: In Times Square, the bricks on the walls of tall buildings will be made of ‘display blocks.’ Every display will be curved, and every road sign will be an electronic display.
  • Gaming: Gaming consoles will be better than the Universal/Disney Studios experience today – you will find yourself in the game as a player or as an actor in a movie, dunking basketballs in a major league game, or hitting the cricket ball to the boundary.
  • Branding: Handbags, carrying cases and shopping bags will feature paper thin displays that will depict, camouflage, and promote a brand or message – as your heart desires.
  • Viewing the world: Displays will replace windows to save space, create the atmosphere you desire, and double as solar panels and privacy glass.
  • Smart surfaces: Every display surface will enable writing ability, touch and voice activated inputs. Displays will make surfaces ‘smart.’
  • Mobile: Your phone will completely replace your wallet, remote, car keys, door keys, entry badges and event tickets – all of these are already happening, but the transformation will be a 100% with changes in display and related technologies.
  • Digital Art: Wall paintings and art will be digital displays, showcasing your favorites and will change every day or every minute and adjust to what’s happening in that room. You will be hard pressed to tell the difference between a display and an oil-on-canvas painting.

It’s thrilling to think about my younger industry colleagues who will pioneer the next 60 years of display technologies. Devices will continue to be smaller, smarter, and versatile. From phones to cars to AI devices, display technology will enhance how we live, work and play. I expect the industry to build displays that will exceed the expectations set by every futuristic display we have seen in any sci-fi movie thus far.

Every time we reach what we think is the limit on what a display technology can do, along comes an industry colleague with a new chemical formulation, or the ability to bend some light or stretch some laws of physics to keep it going. It’s been a fantastic ride. I can’t wait for more.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor |Sri PeruvembaSri Peruvemba is CEO of Marketer International Inc. in California. He has also served on the Executive Board and was former Chair of Marketing for many years for the Society for Information Display (SID’s Display Week 2022 will be held in San Jose, CA, May 8-13, 2022). With over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, Peruvemba has been an influential advocate in the advancement of electronic hardware technologies. He is an acknowledged expert on sensors, electronic displays, haptics, touch screens, electronic materials and related technologies; and consults, writes, and presents on those subjects globally. Contact Mr. Peruvemba at [email protected].

Immigrant Detention and How bond funding works for immigrants

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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Article |Immigrant Detention|Immigrant Detention and How bond funding works for immigrantsDetention services for illegal immigration began back in 1890. Ellis Island in New York City was the first to conduct the practice. It has since become a staple feature of ICE and other organizations.

Illegal Immigrants will have to be removed back to their country of origin. The immigration process can be strict, but there are resources available to help the people. Bond services are an option, but some want to know more about how it works.

The immigrants can rely on the bond services, just as an ordinary citizen. The people will find it easy to secure a bond for illegal immigration in real time.

Find A Local Bond Service:

I suggest that the accused find a local bond service. You will find a bond service in almost any city. That is a safe way to secure a bond when it is needed the most.

Immigration bonds are different, so not every bond agent will give them. I think most people want to cut the red tape on the bond option. You can get the bond needed in just a little bit of time too.

Different Types Of Immigration Bail Bonds:

You might wonder which type of bond is the right choice. The delivery bond is used for a person who has been arrested. You might have a court date set in the future. But release from jail is needed before the court date. The bail bonds will be set for those who need assistance. Click here to gather more information on immigration bonds.

I suggest using a delivery bond if the court date is set. A firm court date helps the illegal alien make a plan. The delivery bond can help you meet that date in short order.

You might also consider the voluntary departure bond. An illegal alien may decide to leave the country. The voluntary departure bond is set up to help them do that too.

However, this is not all, and there are a lot of legal concerns that you might need to consider before you set foot in a foreign land. Here, find out more about immigration laws that you might need to consider before getting everything ready.  Moreover, seeking assistance from an immigration attorney will make the whole process a lot less stressful and complicated for you.

Pitfalls Of The Bail Bond:

Some illegal aliens may not know their future status. The bail bond could be forfeited if it is not used. They should time the bond to correspond with their court date as well.

You might know that forfeiture is a common occurrence for bail bonds. Hire a bail bond agency that really gets the practice today. They will be well prepared to manage any pitfall in the future too.

How To Qualify For The Bail Bond:

You as the detainee will have some rights to bonds. But the person cannot have any prior convictions on record. These prior records could prevent an illegal alien from receiving their bail bond.

I would suggest hiring a lawyer to manage the intricacies. You will find that lawyers are familiar with the bail bond process. The bail bond can be obtained with legal aid.

The Fees To Expect For Bonds:

You can get a bail bond from a reputable agency. I think good agencies will charge a reasonable fee for them. That is a standard aspect of the bail bond process today.

You should pay down those fees as soon as possible. That might be difficult, but you will avoid defaulting on the bail bond. The bond agency will actually rely on the payments from their client base.

How is 3D printing revolutionising the packaging industry?

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StrategyDriven StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Article |3D Printing|How is 3D printing revolutionising the packaging industry?Packaging and transporting the product is as important as manufacturing it. Since ancient times, people have been wrapping things for different purposes using variegated materials such as leaves, tree barks, cloths, etc. The novelistic invention of a 3D printer has revolutionised many sectors and finds utility in every field. Now, it is being used by packaging companies to their advantage.

What is Additive Manufacturing?

It is nothing but the industrial name of 3D printing. It is a process that helps in materialising a definitively defined digital idea into the physical world. We can understand the process of 3D printing into two steps, such as: –

  • The transferring of coded data to printed structure on the printer.
  • Positioning the printer’s head in three directions in space for printing layer by layer.

There are three main types of 3D printing: –

  • SLA- Stereo Lithography
  • SLS- Selective Laser Sintering
  • FDM- Fused

The third method of 3D printing is used widely in packaging. Thermoplastics are used mainly as raw material in 3D printing on the industrial level. They can be remodelled many times by heating without causing any chemical change. Other plastics such as PLA- Polylactic acid, ABS- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and PVA- Polyvinyl alcohol plastic are also used, including powders, photopolymers, ceramics, and metals.

Process of 3D printing

The general process of 3D printing can be divided into four steps: –

  1. CAD model making- A virtual 3D model of the object to be made is designed using a computer-aided design. The designer can use variables that are already defined in the Auto-Cad or use a ready-made design.
  2. STL format conversion- CAD is software that provides various components that can be used to represent solid format. They are saved in different file formats. In the prototyping business, the STL stereolithography technique is adopted to avoid any inconsistency. Therefore, the CAD file type is converted to STL format.
  3. Part by part construction- The final step in 3D printing is when the printer builds layer by layer of the object.
  4. Finishing and cleaning- The printed object is removed from the printing bed and may need some final cuts for finishing. The fourth steps involve giving the finishing touch to the thing. Its surface is treated with manual labour or chemicals for the desired shape.

Use of 3D Printing in Packaging

3D printing techniques have many advantages over traditional packaging methods. It is most effective in supplying packaging material when the demand is not high, and manufacturing needs to be very limited. It avoids the wastage of finished goods that are produced in a batch that is not required.

Moreover, there is no need for creating the raw material of the desired specification and density through the extrusion process. 3D Printing can do the same; thus, it can allow personal packaging too. It means that even a single object with a customised structural design can be made without creating or altering any mould. Packaging the product is as important as the product itself. It defines the brand value and identity when it comes to accumulating sales and maintaining a customer base.

Traditional packaging methods use subtractive production methods. Most of the raw material gets wasted due to its inefficiency. But with 3D printing’s additive technology, we can use as much as we want. As a consequence, we can curb carbon emissions.

Fused Deposition Modelling and Packaging

FDM is the most widely used 3D technology that helps manufacture 3D printed moulds for thermoforming or vacuum forming, though it is a little simplified. Plastic is heated to make it soft, and then it is pressed against a mould in a vacuum for the desired shape.

3D printing machines are utilised to make those moulds. They are more heat-resistant, and they are made with FDM 3D printing technology. The moulds made with FDM are sturdy and can be for longer lengths of time than moulds made with traditional methods.

For instance, 3D printed moulds made of plastics are used to encase toys in a PTEG shell. The plastic sheet is vacuum formed through FDM tools. It also used traditional materials such as HIPE and ABS.

Personalised Packaging and 3D Printing

There has been a surge in marketing strategies being modelled around making personalised products and services for customers. It is a fool-proof strategy for generating sales. Many established brands have been employing this to their benefit, such as: –

    • Share a Coke Campaign
      The Coca-Cola Company has adopted the campaign to replace their traditional logo with the most famous American names.
    • Nutella’s personalised Jars
      Nutella has also followed suit of Coke. They are also offering Nutella jars displaying the name of the customers.
    • My Burberry
      Burberry, the high-end fragrance company, allows its customers to engrave their initials on the bottles they purchase.
    • Johnny Walker
      The whiskey bottles come with a sensor that will notify the owner on their smartphones as to when the bottle was opened and closed.

Therefore, manufacturers offering personalised packaging and limited-edition models will surely benefit from this. The technology is emerging as a boon for manufacturers as they can break free from the limitations of mass production. For instance, it has become easier for brands to give custom-made products as per their customers’ desire at lower costs. The technique has become affordable and immensely sustainable for the environment. Therefore, it is touching the sky by leaps and bounds.

Virtual reality in banking. How are we going to visit the bank in the future?

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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Article | Virtual reality in banking. How are we going to visit the bank in the future?Science and technology have made tremendous progress over the last decade. What was the subject of science fiction books and films not so long ago has become real and accessible today. Perfect examples of the implementation of these visionary ideas are virtual and augmented reality. Although these technologies are similar, they offer different types of experiences for users: Virtual Reality (VR) is completely computer generated, while Augmented Reality (AR) superimposes selected images over the user’s field of view.

Not only for entertainment

Virtual reality is commonly associated with entertainment and games. No wonder – the exploration of digital worlds can be exciting, and immersion – the feeling of being immersed in a computer-generated environment – can be incomparably greater than when we simply sit in front of the screen while playing.

No one is surprised by the use of virtual reality in military training, medicine and tourism. The possibilities that arise when we put on the VR goggles seem almost endless, which, for example, museums make great use of.

Virtual reality in a banking version

It is an opportunity to present various data in an attractive way. Instead of presenting tables and numbers, the advisor will be able to, for example, transfer the client to some real estate, show him spatial, attractive charts or visualize data or the effects of various decisions.

Searching through a variety of financial data can be a serious headache. The question is, how do you turn boredom into fun? Then virtual reality comes to mind. The idea is to visualize said data, which is usually dry and unfriendly – and in effect make it much more accessible. We can also visualize the potential effects of an investment decision.

The digital world as an argument

However, this is only one aspect of the revolution that virtual reality can bring in banking. What else could change? The latest research shows that virtual reality is a great tool that helps us understand the meaning and meaning of various banking products.

This is evidenced by an experiment conducted on a group of volunteers. Its participants were given VR goggles, and after putting them on, they were placed in a room with a large mirror that they could look into while remaining in virtual reality. Some saw his current reflection in him, and others saw his face, but reshaped to reflect his appearance at the age of 70.

After such a session, the respondents were asked how much of the $ 1000 they would like to spend on their current needs and various pleasures, and what part to save for future retirement. It turned out that people who saw their old alter ego in virtual reality were inclined to retire almost twice as much as the rest! Virtual reality helped in this case to show that saving is not some abstract sacrifice, but actually money that we give to ourselves – just a little older.

Our only limit is our imagination

When and if we visit the bank wearing VR goggles? The growing popularity of virtual reality suggests that it will happen soon. It is all the more likely that access to VR has become cheap and common due to solutions that use our smartphones.

Therefore, it is only a matter of time when, sitting comfortably in an armchair, we visit our bank, the appearance of which we will adapt to our current well-being. Pastel walls and a startup atmosphere? Here you go! Or maybe stylish marbles finished with brass? No problem!

During the conversation with the advisor, we will move, for example, to a housing estate where we intend to finance the purchase of real estate with a loan or – if we have such a whim – even to the Amazon jungle. With VR goggles on your head, we will only be limited by our imagination.

All this with the innovation that is Mazerspace – a virtual space platform that lets banks create tailor made VR spaces and VR experiences for both their clients and employees. To learn more visit https://mazerspace.com/finance/