GS1 to Use Google Glass to Showcase Latest Innovation in Mobile Device Bar Code Scanning at Mobile World Congress

Belgium - Friday 21 February 2014 – GS1 have today announced that they will be demonstrating the power of barcode scanning in evolving mobile devices using the widely speculated Google Glass platform.  This will be showcased at the industry’s largest mobile event, Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona next week. 

This innovative demonstration, the first of its kind in Europe using Google Glass has been developed in collaboration with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and Icare, the Swiss Research Institute. When a bar code on product packaging is scanned using Google Glass they receive trusted product information such as nutritional content and recipes, which can then be adapted to personalised preferences, provide special offers, consumer reviews and shared with others on social media websites. 

GS1, the supply chain standards organisation, manages the system of product barcodes used by over 1 million companies on billions of products across the world. GS1 has developed a number of data sharing services to allow brands and retailers to share accurate information about their products in the digital world. These services give app developers and the mobile industry access to the trusted data they require to make innovations such as Google Glass a reality for consumers.

 “Consumer behaviour is always changing and there is a constant need for information on demand, the next generation of bar code scanning is a key driver for consumers to be able to access data and media owners to engage users.  Our demonstration using Google Glass is an innovative way for retailers, manufacturers and mobile solution providers to imagine the future and the way we share information on mobile devices” said Malcolm Bowden, President Global Solutions, GS1. 

“If we can inspire the mobile ecosystem to see the possibilities for implementing the specifications we are developing, then this will be an exciting proposition for consumers.  We would like one day to see these as library components on all Android and IOS devices” continued Malcolm Bowden.

GS1 and the OMA, a leading mobile standards organisation, have been collaborating since 2011 to enable bar code scanning features to be built directly into mobile devices. The two organisations are building a specification based on existing standards that mobile device manufacturers will be able to use later in 2014. This will make it easier for application developers to integrate barcode scanning features and link to trusted product information in their apps.

“GS1 and OMA standards are critical in enabling this vision of the connected consumer of the future, whose shopping trip and product usage are augmented with trusted information and services” said Gary K. Jones Chairman of the OMA Board. “With our knowledge of the mobile industry we have been able to collaborate with GS1 to develop a specification that will allow innovation for the mCommerce and mobile advertising industry and will ultimately benefit consumers through a new generation of more intuitive applications”.

A demo video to show how the Google Glass device can scan barcode and display product information and additional services is now available on YouTube athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHBUSxoSDw8.

For further information, please contact GS1 Hong Kong by phone (852) 2863-9701 or at info@gs1hk.org.

About GS1

GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility in supply chains. GS1 is driven by more than two million companies, who execute more than six billion transactions a day with the GS1 System of Standards. GS1 is truly global, with local Member Organisations in 150 countries, and with Global Office in Brussels, Belgium. For more information, visit http://www.gs1.org