What is AIDC?

Automatic identification and data capturing is a method of automatically identifying objects, collecting data about them and entering data directly into the computer system. All this process is done automatically without any human involvement. Human involvement is confined to a user scanning an AIDC equipped item which is bar coded.

The information associated with the object is called identification data. This data may be in the form of images, sounds or videos. Before feeding the data into the computer system, this data is converted into a digital file. Hence, a transducer is employed to fulfill this task i.e. to convert actual data into digital file. Now, in computer system a database is fed. The stored data file is analyzed by a computer or is compared with other files in a database to verify or to provide authentication to enter in a secured system.

Various AIDC technologies are listed below:

· Barcodes

· Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

· Biometrics

· Magnetic Stripes

· Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

· Smart Cards

· Voice Recognition

· Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS)

· Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS)