Why Do Bar Codes Use RFID?

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Bar Codes and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
In 1974, bar codes were first used to read price tags on groceries in supermarkets. Today, more than 10 billion bar codes are scanned every day for a huge variety of uses beyond purchasing products (Source B). Bar codes are used to record prices for purchases, track millions of pieces of mail at the US Postal Service, identify patients in hospitals, manufacture goods, and more. Bar codes are everywhere in our global economy, but will they be replaced with a system that uses newer technologies? Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags use wireless technology and offer some benefits over bar codes. “RFID uses a method of remotely storing and retrieving data using a small object attached to or incorporated into a product” (Source A). RFID tags can store more information than a bar code and do not need to be scanned. Both bar codes and RFID offer benefits and drawbacks; time will tell whether they will continue to coexist together, or whether one will win out over the other.
Any consumer knows what a bar code looks like. “A bar code is a series of parallel black bars and white spaces, both of varying widths.” (Source A) A bar code can be decoded to provide a unique reference number to particular item that can then be looked up by a computer. No other information about the item is stored in the bar code;
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First, they are much more expensive than bar codes. While bar codes cost just a half a cent each, RFID tags cost five cents or more (Source B). Adopting the use of RFID tags would require updating systems and infrastructure to allow for their use. There is also controversy about the use of RFID tags in hospitals. Eric Nagourney writing for The New York Times reported that signals from RFID tags are interfering with critical care equipment in hospitals. Privacy advocates are also concerned about the widespread use of RFID