In the future we wont be using barcodes very much, see Toshiba has built a scanner that can recognize objects. Put a fruit or other item in front of the scanner and voila.
Toshiba’s Keiichi Hasegawa explained that although the special scanner is able to recognize any supermarket item, it will be particularly useful when it comes to fruit and vegetables.

“Fruit and vegetables in supermarkets don’t usually have bar codes because they’re put out while they’re fresh, so these items can’t be read at the register using bar codes, which means staff need to input data to record them,” Hasegawa said. “If staff are part-time employees, they may not recognize some items, which can cause delays. We’re developing this new scanner to solve that problem.”

The technology is so advanced that it goes well beyond simply telling the difference between an apple and an orange. Toshiba’s Object Recognition Scanner can tell your Red Delicious from your Pacific Rose, and your Cortland from your Wealthy — great news if you work in a supermarket and don’t happen to be an apple aficionado.

Toshiba is currently in the process of creating a database of typical supermarket items and is also fine tuning the scanner so that it will avoid causing any of those long, drawn-out item-waving moments.