Credit cards to leave scammers out of work

2002/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Teknologia

Credit cards that are currently used are not very difficult to fake, which generates many problems. But it seems that the US Institute of Media Lab Technology has found a simple and economical solution.

The particularity of this new card lies in the material. In fact, the epoxy consists of a transparent resin inside which are small glass spheres. Like the barcode, the card is read with laser, and when the laser light hits the glass sphere, on the opposite surface it creates a concrete model. In this skin there is a network of pixels and the intensity that is received in each pixel gives the signal. This signal is compared to the one already saved and so it is known if it is real or if it is missing.

This system is based on the cryptography methods used in computer science. On the other hand, the nature of the material greatly hinders counterfeiting, it is even impossible with conventional techniques, since you cannot see where all these spheres are and simply change them.