⚙️ how
How do barcode scanners read product codes?
TechnologyRetail
Quick Answer
Barcode scanners shine light on a pattern of dark and light lines and measure the reflected signal. The pattern is decoded into numbers or letters by software.
The Full Story
A barcode is a visual code made of bars and spaces of different widths. When a scanner passes a beam of light over it, the dark bars absorb more light and the white spaces reflect more. A sensor inside the scanner converts those reflections into an electrical pattern. The device then interprets the pattern using a barcode standard such as UPC or Code 128. Barcodes revolutionized retail when the first supermarket barcode scan was made in 1974 in Ohio, United States.
Key Facts
1.Barcodes encode data with bars and spaces
2.The first supermarket barcode scan was in 1974
3.Scanners use reflected light to decode the pattern
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"How a few black lines can identify almost any product"