Zebra, Merck Collaborate on Counterfeiting Detection Tech

Zebra Technologies and Merck KGaA are collaborating to co-create solutions addressing challenges around product verification and authenticity. As AI solutions are operationalized, the companies will offer high quality data for training and testing AI models to enhance analytics capabilities. The collaboration combines Zebra’s experience in mobile computing, asset visibility, and identity capture with Merck’s capabilities in authentication technologies to improve security and accuracy in manufacturing value chains,

The first outcome of the collaboration will be a handheld reader that works with the M-Trust platform, a secure cyber-physical trust solution developed by Merck. According to the companies, the reader will enable customers to verify products without switching devices and includes features for frontline communication, such as two-way radio, a 16-MP camera, and a 1D/2D barcode scanner. The reader, built on Zebra’s TC58 mobile computer, is designed to be used to scan products and share data with the M-Trust platform via Wi-Fi 6E or 5G for verification.

A prototype of the handheld reader device to scan products and share data with the M-Trust program. Courtesy of Zebra Technologies.

M-Trust, launched this year, enables organizations to ensure product quality and authenticity across their value chains by creating secure digital twins. Powered by Web 3.0 technology, the M-Trust platform is designed to adapt to evolving technologies and regulatory requirements, such as the EU Digital Product Passport.

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Through this collaboration, the companies said, further, M-Trust will be the first cyber-physical trust platform with a mobile computer scanning solution for addressing the growing issues of product safety, traceability, and counterfeiting. The integration, said Thomas Endress, head of M-TRUST, builds trust in AI systems regarding data authenticity and origin.

A solution prototype shown in the figure is being showcased at Hannover Messe 2025 this week.

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Published: April 2025

Glossary

scanner: 1. A device used to trace out an object and build up an image. One of the most common of these types is video scanning. The scanning takes place inside the television tube as electrons, guided by electron optics, sweep linearly across a tube face coated on the inside with a phosphorescent material. A scanner can convert a paper drawing or photograph into pixels on a display screen. Scanners are also used to relay information in optical data processing. 2. A device that automatically measures or...
machine vision: Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically computers, to interpret and understand visual information from the world, much like the human visual system. It involves the development and application of algorithms and systems that allow machines to acquire, process, analyze, and make decisions based on visual data. Key aspects of machine vision include: Image acquisition: Machine vision systems use various...
artificial intelligence: The ability of a machine to perform certain complex functions normally associated with human intelligence, such as judgment, pattern recognition, understanding, learning, planning, and problem solving.

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