Counterfeiting, once primarily associated with luxury goods, now affects a multitude of sectors, ranging from medicines to automotive parts. Every year, this illicit activity deprives companies of significant revenue and exposes consumers to real dangers.
In response to this problem, a team from the University of Copenhagen has developed a unique fingerprint called O-KEY. This solution provides a verifiable legal identity to any physical object, thereby offering robust protection against fraudulent reproductions.
The method generates a random, colorful pattern that cannot be copied, serving as a unique signature for each object.
Credit: KU
The operation of this technology is inspired by a simple natural phenomenon. Like grains of sand forming a unique pattern as they fall, microscopic particles contained in a special ink organize themselves randomly. This configuration, inscribed in a transparent mark one square millimeter (approximately 0.0015 square inches) in size, is impossible to reproduce identically.
Several brands have already adopted this system, such as the porcelain manufacturer Royal Copenhagen. Applying the fingerprint allows tracking each product throughout its distribution, all the way to the final customer's hands. This transparency provides easy-to-verify legal proof of authenticity.
The development of O-KEY was born in university laboratories, thanks to work in materials chemistry. Researcher Thomas Just Sørensen published his results in the journal
Science Advances. His discoveries later gave rise to a specialized company.
Today, this technology is not limited to valuables or luxury products. It is also used to secure electronic components and sensitive infrastructure. Its adoption helps strengthen trust in commercial exchanges and protect consumers.
Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs)
Physically Unclonable Functions, or PUFs, are devices that exploit the tiny, random variations present in a material during its manufacture. These variations, imperceptible to the naked eye, create a unique signature impossible to reproduce exactly, even using the same production processes. This concept is similar to human fingerprints, where each individual has a distinct pattern.
In the field of electronics, PUFs are often integrated into chips to secure devices. They generate cryptographic keys based on these physical imperfections, offering robust protection against copying or tampering. This approach is considered more secure than traditional software methods because it relies on inherent material characteristics.
The application of PUFs extends beyond electronics, as shown by O-KEY technology. By using microscopic particles arranged randomly, a physical signature is created that can be digitized and verified.
The potential of PUFs lies in their ability to provide an intrinsic and verifiable identity, without requiring expensive electronic components. This makes them suitable for a wide range of products, from luxury goods to official documents, thereby strengthening security and trust in many sectors.