[V8] They should have used this on that 1995 V8...

[Jeremy Ward]

This was too cool, had to pass it on.

- Jeremy

-----Original Message-----
From: Ewald [mailto:ewaldc at comcast.net] 
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 3:01 PM
To: northwest audi enthusiasts
Subject: NAC: Ubiquitous VIN numbers

This article reminds me of the much more robust two-dimensional barcode
invented at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) called Xerox Glyph.  It
is deployed today to very effectively track and comprehensively catalog
documents, by carrying significant searchable data in a very small dot that
was little bigger than the period >> .

This application has potential for autos because it will "disappear" until
found during the chop-shop raid.

John

NEW ZEALAND: Sand-sized dots help police crack car crime - paper
http://just-auto.com/nd.asp?art=42891&lk=emf
28 Nov 2003
Source: just-auto.com editorial team

Tiny dots no bigger than a grain of sand are helping New Zealand police
crack vehicle crime, according to the Dominion newspaper.

The report said insurers are looking at the microscopic dots with interest,
and say they could lead to lower premiums for motorists who have them.

Data dots, just one millimetre wide, are laser-etched with the unique VIN
number of a vehicle, the report said. About 10,000 of the dots are mixed
with a clear glue and sprayed throughout the car, coating any parts that can
be stripped and sold.

The paper said the dots are only just visible to the naked eye and show up
under ultra-violet light, allowing police using a powerful magnifier to
instantly identify the owner of a suspected stolen vehicle or part.

A Wellington police spokesman told the Dominion that would-be car thieves
were steering clear of the new technology as it was virtually impossible to
remove all the dots without destroying the car.

"This has got to be the best crime-fighting identification tool for the
police that has been released," he reportedly said.

The paper noted that Auckland's car squad used the technology earlier this
year to match recovered parts from a late-model Holden HSV to a reported
stolen car and said that police believe it is the only car with data dots to
have been stolen in New Zealand.

Several performance vehicles known to be at risk from theft coming into New
Zealand now have the data dots as a standard feature, including
Australian-made Ford FPVs, Mitsubishi Diamante Ralliarts, HSV Holdens, and
all new Subarus, the Dominion said.

According to the report, the technology is an advanced version of the
microdots used during World War 2 and the Cold War where secret documents,
shrunk to the size of full stops, could be easily hidden by spies.

Dave Lumsden from supplier DataDot Technology, told the paper that cars
could be coated in about five minutes while kits were also available to
protect home appliances, boats and motorcycles.

The Dominion said the product has been used extensively in Australia, and
motorists there who use the dots are offered insurance premium discounts of
between 4% and 15%.

The report said most New Zealand insurers are evaluating how well the
product is taken up before deciding whether to offer discounts though one
company is offering a 10% premium discount for owners of pleasure boats that
have the dots as a trial.

Insurance Council corporate affairs manager Terry Jordan told the Dominon
the council recognised the technology as an effective tool to prevent car
crime, which costs insurers about $NZ10 million a month.

"It's also got wider ramifications than just brand new cars. The insurance
industry is quite pleased with the direction," he reportedly said.