RFID to stop illegal cigarettes
The UK government is busy with a scheme to embed RFID tags in each pack of cigarettes sold in the country, in an effort to stop counterfeiting and tobacco smuggling, according to My ESM.
The UK`s Tobacco Manufactures` Association (TMA) - which includes the largest cigarette suppliers - is helping to run the scheme in conjunction with Revenue and Customs, and initially the tobacco makers will fund the initiative.
The TMA estimates about 3% of cigarettes smoked in Britain this year, or two billion, were counterfeit.
Intelligent trolleys watch waistlines
New `intelligent` trolleys, which scan bar codes and relay nutritional information, could revolutionise the way people shop, says the NZ Herald.
These trolleys will read each product`s individual code to give customers information about calories, nutrition, ethical sourcing and the environment.
US technology services company EDS outlined the concept in a study paper published this week.
Women get hospital entry cards
All members of staff at Liverpool Women`s NHS Foundation Trust will soon be able to use their hospital entry cards as single sign-on smartcards to all hospital IT applications, says E-Health Insider.
Working with identity and access management specialists, Imprivata, the trust wanted to stop their IT helpdesk being called on a daily basis to reset passwords for staff.
Liverpool`s IM&T director, Dr Zafar Chaudry, told E-Health Insider: "We began looking at single sign-on eight months ago due to an urgent need, where our IT helpdesk was receiving calls on a daily basis, half of which were because people couldn`t remember their password for a particular application they needed."