Chemical engineers hope smartphone-readable microparticles
could crack down on counterfeiting.
Some 2 to 5 percent of all international trade involves
counterfeit goods, according to a 2013 United Nations report. These illicit
products — which include electronics, automotive and aircraft parts,
pharmaceuticals, and food — can pose safety risks and cost governments and
private companies hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
Many strategies have been developed to try to label
legitimate products and prevent illegal trade — but these tags are often too
easy to fake, are unreliable, or cost too much to implement, according to MIT
researchers who have developed a new alternative.