Barcode vs. RFID tag
In order to optimally manage the supply chain and production process, it is necessary to track the movement of each unit of goods, sometimes every detail. Modern technologies make this task easier.
Today, there are many methods of auto-identification, based on the principle of contactless reading of information.
The most popular and common of them is bar coding. However, it is rapidly catching up with radio frequency identification (RFID). This technology is successfully used by the world's largest retail chains, such as Wal-Mart, Target and Tesco.
RFID is a generic term for technologies that are used to automatically identify radio wave objects. They are emitted by special marks placed on identifiable items. RFID allows you to track the location of items, boxes and pallets as they move through the supply chain to the consumer. Readers (RFID readers) collect information about each object into a central database.
There, code tags are identified with information about identifiable items, as a result of which the user of the system can at any time receive an exhaustive report on the relevant subject.
RFID technology provides higher speed and accuracy of information transfer in the supply chain than bar coding.
This difference is particularly noticeable in organizations with global supply chains and an extensive distribution and retail network.
More extensive RFID information collection capabilities ensure that there are no discrepancies in the data and greater transparency in the logistics scheme. This contributes to cost reduction and more efficient operation.
The goal of any retail store is to maximize customer satisfaction by maintaining optimal inventory levels while reducing operating costs. The key points of trading are receiving goods, reconciling and setting prices, moving goods to the sales area from the back room.
Successful trading can be hampered by the following problems:
• the goods have not entered the store
• the product entered the store, but did not hit the storefront on time
• the goods are already on display, but it is not clear whether it can be sold
To avoid this, many retailers invest in technology solutions such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) or warehouse management systems (IMS).
But they are based on processing a large amount of data, so reliable sources of information are needed for normal operation. These sources are barcodes and 

RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification, Radio Frequency Identification) is a method of automatically identifying objects, which means that data stored in so-called transponders or RFID tags are read or written using radio signals. Any RFID system consists of a reader (reader, reader or interrogator) and a transponder (also known as an RFID tag, sometimes the term RFID tag is also used).
Most RFID tags consist of two parts. The first is an integrated circuit (IC) for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio frequency (RF) signal and some other functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting a signal. Already known RFID applications (contactless smart cards in access control systems and in payment systems) gain additional popularity with the development of Internet services.

The Japanese company NEC has developed a lightweight, flexible battery (see photo), which is less than a millimeter thick and can be charged in half a minute.
The novelty is called "Organic Based Battery" (Organic Radical Battery, ORB) and contains a certain type of plastic that exists in the form of a gel. This gel allows the battery to be extremely flexible, with a thickness of only 300 microns.

An ORB can be embedded in devices such as smart cards, laptop computers, and smart paper. In addition, the absence of harmful chemical compounds in the battery makes it environmentally friendly.