Meta Materials, under its former name of Nanotech Security Corporation, has been a pioneer in banknote OVD technology for the past decade with innovations in micro-, nano- and now plasmonic structures.

The business of authentication is changing. Whilst the physical objects that we used to hold as important on account of their scarcity or beauty have not lost their value, the digital and virtual worlds that are being created around us bring their own cherished icons.

A team of scientists, from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Hong Kong have developed an optical metasurface to create colour-selective 3D polarisation structures.

The ability to link a physical object such as a label, stamp or direct mark into the digital space through devices such as a smartphone is a persuasive and growing field.

Those of us who still believe overt security features validated with the naked eye should be the first ‘port of call’ for checking the authenticity of something, will be heartened by the HP Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud programme.

Foil and thin film technology company KURZ has been a pioneer in the use of diffractive optical anti-counterfeit features on banknotes since its earliest developments. Now, KURZ has made another step forward, with OVD Kinegram (OVDK), a member of the KURZ Group since 1999, in introducing its latest optical technology, KINEGRAM DYNAMIC®.

Nanopixel, a subsidiary of the light science technologies group Lumenco, has announced the creation of MicroEdge™, a patented optical security feature that can be moulded directly into the surface of plastic products or packaging.