Few things today would disrupt society more than if barcode scanners stopped working. But what is a barcode and how does a barcode scanner work?

MechatronicsZone.com presents Mechatronics On-Demand Webcasts to explore the role of mechatronics and, in this case, focus on the development of a nearly indispensable technology. This three-part tutorial, featuring Dr. Kevin Craig and Dr. Mark Nagurka, professors of Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University, is sponsored by National Instruments, Numatics, and Siemens PLM. The series addresses:

• The different types of barcodes and barcode scanners and how they are used for quality control and security applications.
• Identifying key elements of barcode scanners’ mechatronic system design as well as how customer and regulatory requirements that agencies or customers may impose can be met with barcodes.
• The future of barcode scanners and how it can be used to make improvements in performance from a systems approach.