Neither bar-codes, nor RFID labels, nor holograms or even watermarks have actually discouraged forgers from committing plagiarism. However, Bayer Technology Services (BTS), together with Ingenia Technology have developed a new laser-scan process.  ProteXXion® scans products and can authenticate them just by their surface structure, therefore detecting all counterfeit goods. The innovative product won the esteemed Hermes Award, the international technology prize awarded at the Hanover Fair.

ProteXXion® identifies each object on the basis of its individual surface structure, no additional marking or tagging is necessary, simply by using laser light the authentication of objects and packaging can be determined.  Head of IT-Systems at Bayer Technology Services, Martin Friedrich, describes the systems as working a lot like a fingerprint. ProteXXion® uses “Laser Surface Authentication” (LSA) technology. This records and afterward identifies the fingerprint of an object, which is essentially its natural surface structure. According to BTS, a unique scanning process based on the laser speckle phenomenon records the microscopic surface structure by measuring the laser light scattered by the surface at different angles relative to the incident beam. The surface characteristics recorded by the scanner are unique – like a fingerprint or a DNA sequence. Reasonable wear or change to the objects will not hinder recognition. The likelihood that two objects have the equivalent “fingerprint” is between 1 in 1020 to 1 in 10100. The signal recorded by the scanner therefore contains explicit information about the identity of the object. The surface characteristics cannot be made artificially because of the intricate structure.

Scanned information can be stored in a database and called up in a matter of seconds by use of search-and-compare software.

The €100,000 Hermes Award was presented to Bayer Technology Services Managing Director Achim Noack and Mounir Barakat , Chief Executive Officer of British-based Ingenia Technology.