MindWave offers solutions in the field of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). With the continuously growing applications and demand in both government and private sectors, AIDC has become an industry itself. 

AIDC is the process of capturing data electronically with speed and accuracy. AIDC is also commonly referred to as “Automatic Identification,” “Auto-ID,” and “Automatic Data Capture.”

Technologies that are typically considered a part of AIDC include:

Barcodes

Numeric Only:  UPC, EAN, Interleaved 2 of 5

Fixed Length: UPC-A is 12 digits, UPC-E is 6 digits, EAN-13 is 13 digits and EAN-8 is 8 digits

Numbers and Alphabetic Characters: Code 93, Code 128, and Code 39. One bar code allows you to encode all 128 characters, (Code 128) and other bar codes allow you to encode a lot of data into a small space (PDF417, Data Matrix and MaxiCode).

Bar codes are grouped into two types of symbologies: Linear or Two-Dimensional.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology was first developed in the 1980s. The technology acts as a base in automated data collection, identification and analysis systems worldwide.

RFID has found its importance in a wide range of markets including Logistics, Manufacturing, Livestock Identification, Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) and Road Toll Management; because of its capability to track moving objects. These automated wireless AIDC systems are effective in manufacturing and other harsh environments where barcode labels could not survive.

Biometric

"Biometric is an automated method of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioural characteristic." Examples of human traits used for biometric recognition include fingerprints, speech, face, retina, iris, handwritten signature, hand geometry and wrist veins.

Biometric recognition can be used in identification mode or verification mode, where the biometric system identifies a person from the entire enrolled population by searching a database for a match or authenticates a person's claimed identity from his/her previously enrolled pattern, respectively.

Utilizing biometric to identify and authenticate human beings does offer a unique advantage as only biometric authentication bases an identification on an intrinsic part of a human being. Tokens, such as smart cards, magnetic strip cards and physical keys can be lost, stolen, duplicated or left at home. And even passwords can be forgotten, shared or observed.

While all biometric systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, there are various common characteristics that make a biometric system usable.

Firstly, the biometric must be based upon a distinguishable trait. For example, for nearly a century, law enforcement has used fingerprints to identify people. There is a great deal of scientific data supporting the idea that "no two fingerprints are alike."

Magnetic

Most people own at least 3 cards that have magnetic stripes on the back such as ATM cards, credit cards, calling cards, frequent flyer cards, ID cards and many others.  This is one of the most widely used technologies in AIDC.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) / Magnetic Ink Character Recognition

The acronym MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition.  This technology uses magnetically chargeable ink or toner to print the numbers and special characters on the bottom of checks or other financial transaction documents.   

The numbers usually include the account number from which the money will be drawn,the identification number and the routing and transit of the check for the bank where the account resides.  MICR technology is used in the banking industry in many countries because it allows for fast and reliable data capture and processing.  

Smart Cards

A smart card resembles a credit card in size and shape, but inside it is completely different. A normal credit card is a simple piece of plastic with magnetic stripe and/or integrated circuit chip (ICC). The inside of a smart card usually contains an embedded microprocessor. The microprocessor is under a gold contact pad on one side of the card. Think of the microprocessor as replacing or augmenting the usual magnetic stripe on a credit card or debit card.

The popular GSM SIM cards are also based on the Smart Card Technology.

Voice Recognition

Speech recognition (also known as automatic speech recognition or computer speech recognition) converts spoken words to machine-readable input (for example, to key presses, using the binary code for a string of character codes). The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to speech recognition where the recognition system is trained to a particular speaker - as is the case for most desktop recognition software, hence there is an aspect of speaker recognition, which attempts to identify the person speaking, to better recognise what is being said. Speech recognition is a broad term which means it can recognise almost anybody’s speech - such as a call centre system designed to recognise many voices. Voice recognition is a system trained to a particular user, where it recognises their speech based on their unique vocal sound.