Intelligent labels. Computer artwork of a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip in a supermarket trolley. RFID chips could soon replace barcodes. They consist of a plastic circuit printed onto foil and antennae for receiving and transmitting radio waves. Barcodes can only store price. RFID chips could give expiry dates, weight and other information, as well as being used to track products in the supply chain. The chips can be read from tens of metres away, making checkouts faster; the chips on all the items in a trolley could be read instantly. They can also be used much like conventional anti-theft devices.