Reelables allows you to track packages using paper electronics

Possible too presents a new method of tracking a shipped package using low-cost electronic devices on one side of the shipping label.

First production on Cost of CES 2025The technology uses paper-based electricity that has been around for a while – I wrote about them when Xerox partnered with Thinfilm in 2015 to produce circuits printed on thin materials. But nearly a decade later, the cost of such products has dropped so much that Reelables can now pack 5G and GPS electronics, along with a zinc-block battery, into shipping containers.

Tracking a package today is possible, but you have to rely on the shipping company to do it right for you, and often you only know what city it is in. With this, you can know where it is from wherever it is. 5G connectivity. This means that when it reaches its destination, you will know and have peace of mind that what you sent to someone actually got there.

If your package is lost or stolen, you will be able to track it and report it. This will not cause you to return the packet. But it can give you a lot more confidence in the whole delivery system.

The company will be exhibiting at CES 2025 in the LVCC North Hall, Booth 8364.

How it works

The company’s first electronic printing company, Reelables is showing its latest, thin, printed cell phone at CES, said Brian Krejcarek, founder of Reelables, in a message to GamesBeat.

He said these smart labels look like regular UPS or FedEx labels, but connect to mobile networks so you can track shipments with real-time GPS data, independent of carriers. They don’t rely on cumbersome and unobtrusive barcode scanning by drivers or warehouse workers, he said.

“This is a game changer because this new class of smart labels does not require installing expensive RFID readers or infrastructure,” said Krejcarek. “RFID tags are limited to 10-15 feet or less. Reelables’ range of tracking tags is similar to a cell phone, connecting to remote cell towers. Or, in the case of Reelables Bluetooth tags, feet long. several hundred. This means that they can calculate the total amount of storage every ten seconds.”

He said that GPS tracking devices have been around for a long time, but for the first time, the appearance of the real signal and its price allows many people to track almost anything, not just valuables. The labels are less than 0.5 mm thick and are printed on external barcode printers. This means that no new steps or training are required. Just print, stick, and ship like companies do today, Krejcarek said.

Reelables has developed the technology and in-house manufacturing to produce tape-like smart labels, with aircraft-grade, zinc-coated batteries, and are in production today. Unlike lithium battery devices, Reelables pens are airplane-safe, non-hazardous products and are specially classified by US Customs and Border control as carry-on devices, he said.

There are no returns required. As shown in the study of Westrock and Western Michigan University’s, Paper Pilot Plantthe documents are disposed of in regular waste streams on corrugated paper and do not require electronic waste processing, Krejcarek said.

Only when the 5G Internet of Things is available (such as NB-IoT from AT&T and Vodafone) and video printing technology that enables printing, recycling, and soon, the price of $ 10, including the label. , communication, and follow-up work, Krejcarek said. As you can see on the cover of this article, Krejcarek was able to see the exact path that the package took to get from one place to another. That’s what you’ll see on your package’s tracking page.

Reelables doesn’t use Thinfilm or the United Kingdom’s Pragmatic, because they don’t need flexibility because the chips they use are too small. Reelables decided instead how to use a small silicon die for RF chipsets, directly bonded to the substrate with epoxy, for a fixed reel-to-reel system.

“At Reelables we are making millions of Bluetooth wireless and cellular devices in the home, with direct zinc batteries, which means that the electrochemical properties of the battery share the same field as the RF circuit of Bluetooth and NB-IoT,” he said. Krejcarek. “The zinc batteries that are coated with our small part mean that our labels are non-hazardous and safe for airplanes. They can also be disposed of through normal recycling streams and should not be treated as e-mail waste.”