My Invention

Abz

Abz

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I was just reading an article on BBC website about how bar code revolutionized the way we shop, and how price punching was removed obsolete by the early 80's. (Funny how people used to be scared from the red laser bar code reader).

Anyway so I came up with a new Idea. Let me know what you think1

As you enter a supermarket you pass a overhead metal detector, it talks to the chip on your card.

You have a credit card/debit card that is activated by your saliva or blow on it. (this is so the card owner is verified)

you fill your trolley and walk out.

Each good/s contains a small microchip to identify it and its price.

The metal detector detects your good and deducts the total from your card.


the receipt is sent to your email address.

Actually writing this idea is a long drag but hay it could be a start of something . What you think, any ideas you could add? :p
 

Abz

Abz

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OP
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yes its 4am and am sleepy but I came with this wacky idea that I thought I'd share with you.

the idea is a concept, you can use RFID to cut costs, I dunno
 
Associate
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the idea is a concept, you can use RFID to cut costs, I dunno

It's not a case of cutting costs, RFID 'is' the only way to do that really, and it's too expensive. Given an RFID is 25p a pop, things that used to cost 10p would have to cost 35p to cover the extra cost of the attached RFID chip.

It's not really viable.
 
Soldato
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yes, it could be costly to start, thats a draw back
The only way to cut costs would be to streamline the production process, and mass produce. But you're never going to cut costs by that much.

EVERY item in the store would have to be RFID chipped, and these chips would be thrown away. You're talking trillions of tags for the UK. Cost aside, this also presents a massive logistic problem (tagging everything) to an environmental problem (tags end up in waste). Not so mention things like me buying 137.56g of pick and mix, 3 apples and a banana throwing a spanner into the works.

OP fails. I see your point, but you didn't think it through.

Even if the cost was just a single penny, it would be too much to bare in other ways, logistically, or such.
 
Caporegime
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18 Oct 2002
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32,615
A much more practical and simplified version already exists. I can go to the super mark here, throw stuff in a trolley, and walk through a special checkout and pay. Uses the weight of the goods I believe.$


Anyway, a metal detector wont "talk to your card".
 

uv

uv

Soldato
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A much more practical and simplified version already exists... Uses the weight of the goods I believe.$

It uses the barcode - how would it know the difference between a kilo of gold, and a kilo of no-frills potatoes otherwise? :p
 
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