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Tiny Barcodes for Dementia in Japan

Tiny Barcodes for Dementia in Japan
Tiny Barcodes for Dementia in Japan

A Japanese city has introduced a novel way to keep track of senior citizens with dementia who are prone to getting lost -- tagging their fingers and toes with scanable barcodes. A company in Iruma, north of Tokyo, developed tiny nail stickers, each of which carries a unique identity number to help concerned families find missing loved ones, AFP reported. The adhesive QR-coded seals for nails -- part of a free service launched this month and a first in Japan -- measure just one centimeter in size. The chips remain attached for an average of two weeks, even if they get wet. “Being able to attach the seals on nails is a great advantage,” a city worker told AFP. Japan is grappling with a rapidly ageing population with senior citizens expected to make up a whopping 40% of the population around 2060.

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