Barcode scanning with Google Glass

Supply chain standards organisation GS1 and the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) used last week's Mobile World Congress trade show to demonstrate barcode scanning via Google Glass.

At an event at the show in Barcelona last Wednesday, the organisations and Swiss research institute Icare demonstrated the potential of mobile device barcode scanning.

Consumers could potentially use Glass to scan a barcode on a product and receive information including nutritional content and recipes. Retailers could use such a system to provide special offers and end users could share consumer reviews via social media.

“Consumers today are using mobile devices to access instant product information from various online sources. The next generation of barcode 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,” GS1 Australia CEO Maria Palazzolo said.

“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.”

GS1 and the OMA have been developing specifications for mobile device barcode scanning and expect to have a specification based on existing standards ready for mobile device manufacturers later this year.

“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,” Palazzolo said. “We would like one day to see these as library components on all Android and IOS devices.”

Pictured: Barcode scanning via Google Glass.