Smart cards
The equivalent of a microprocessor, smart cards or chip cards are traditional plastic cards containing an embedded integrated circuit. Through the use of the embedded chip, smart cards take the traditional plastic card to a whole new level by integrating technology, applications and memory all housed within the plastic to facilitate ease of use and convenience to the consumer. Smart cards can either be read by direct physical contact to the card reader (contact smart card) or through radio frequency as in the case of contactless smart cards.
Smart card usage has seen a tremendous growth in recent years due to the demands for more secure financial payments, as well government, healthcare, transportation, identification and more. With the ability to store as little or as much information as needed, smart cards are the ideal choice for industries in need of multiple applications, higher security standards and more convenience to their customers.