DIGITAL LIFE

Decode: This app can identify fake articles with just one touch

The counterfeit goods market generates about half a billion dollars a year. The deal is good for traders operating in the industry, but these numbers not only affect the original brands as they can hurt consumers less aware of what they are getting. And it is exactly on this issue that Blue Bite wants to act.The New York startup has created a system, based on a mobile app, capable of identifying fakes. The application, which the company called Decode, is able to analyze an object in a few moments, simply by touching that smartphone in the article in question.The technology behind this system has RFID and NFC as the backbone, since the interest of the big brands by these sensors is increasing. As a result, this means that companies are investing in the integration of these sensors into their products and that in the future this may be one of the main ways of assessing whether or not an article is true.
The Blue Bite system can be very useful for consumers who purchase a second-hand product, for example, since in such cases there is often not a great deal of assurance as to the quality and origins of the objects that are sold and bought in this market, whether online or offline.Remember that Nike recently put RFID sensors on NBA basketball team jerseys. The electronic "tags" had no functionality related to the legitimacy of the product, but the American brand said that it was still studying all potential and future uses of this accessory.

In addition to RFID, Blue Bite also integrates support for NFC, HID, LAB ID and Smartrac sensors, offering diversity to companies interested in articulating one of these technologies with their products.

• 
  
• 
  

One of the first demonstrations that the company made with this system was one of the official balls of the 2018 Football World Cup. The Telstar 18 is manufactured by Adidas and already has an NFC chip that allows the operation of this system. Those who have tried out say that the authentication process between the app and the ball does not take more than 10 seconds.

After opening the app, just click on the "authenticate" option and tap the phone on the ball until the confirmation message appears. As soon as the ball is checked, an image of the analyzed article appears, the number of times the article was analyzed, and the first time the process was run, which could reveal whether the sensor was original or was taken from another product.
In addition, the app also allows brands to load the sensor with links to unique experiences, and the technology supports augmented reality features.
Blue Bite explains that although it is a concern, the appropriation of these sensors is impossible to realize, since they are associated with a specific product and can not be applied to other objects to try to falsify an authentication.
Startup says the system is ready to use, but understands that there is still a lot of work to be done, especially with regard to negotiation with companies possibly interested in applying this technology. For now, there are 15 companies in negotiations with Blue Bite.



Sapo