Bar code-scanning Google Glass

GS1 (www.gs1au.org/) has demonstrated the power of bar code scanning in evolving mobile devices using the widely speculated Google Glass platform. The Google Glass demonstration took place at the Mobile World Congress event held in Barcelona.

This demonstration, the first of its kind in Europe using Google Glass, has been developed in collaboration with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) (www.openmobilealliance.org/) and Icare, the Swiss Research Institute. When a bar code on product packaging is scanned using Google Glass, scanners receive trusted product information such as nutritional content and recipes, which can then be adapted to personalised preferences, provide special offers, consumer reviews and shared with others on social media websites.

GS1, the supply chain standards organisation, manages the system of product bar codes used by over 1 million companies on billions of products across the world. GS1 has developed a number of data sharing services to allow brands and retailers to share accurate information about their products in the digital world. These services give app developers and the mobile industry access to the trusted data they require to make innovations such as Google Glass a reality for consumers.

“Consumers today are using mobile devices to access instant product information from various online sources., The next generation of bar code scanning is a key driver for consumers to access this information on demand and a tool for media owners to engage more effectively with users. Our demonstration using Google Glass is an innovative way for retailers, manufacturers and mobile solution providers to imagine the future and the way we share information on mobile devices,” said Maria Palazzolo, CEO at GS1 Australia.

“If we can inspire the mobile ecosystem to see the possibilities for implementing the specifications we are developing, then this will be an exciting proposition for consumers. We would like one day to see these as library components on all Android and IOS devices,” continued Ms Palazzolo.

GS1 and the OMA, a leading mobile standards organisation, have been collaborating since 2011 to enable bar code scanning features to be built directly into mobile devices. The two organisations are building a specification based on existing standards that mobile device manufacturers will be able to use later in 2014. This will make it easier for application developers to integrate barcode scanning features and link to trusted product information in their apps.

“GS1 and OMA standards are critical in enabling this vision of the connected consumer of the future, whose shopping trip and product usage are augmented with trusted information and services” said Gary K. Jones, chairman of the OMA Board. “With our knowledge of the mobile industry, we have been able to collaborate with GS1 to develop a specification that will allow innovation for the mCommerce and mobile advertising industry and will ultimately benefit consumers through a new generation of more intuitive applications.”

Source: http://www.tandlnews.com.au/