S4E48 Paul McEnroe | Inventing the Barcode (UPC) & Scanner
Paul McEnroe, the primary inventor of the Universal Product Code (UPC) and the handheld barcode scanner, discusses the history and engineering behind the technology. He explains how IBM's internal 'pseudo-startup' in Silicon Valley addressed retail inventory and checkout speed issues by developing a reliable optical scanning system using helium-neon lasers. McEnroe details the specific engineering challenge of ink variance in low-cost store printers and how his team's error-canceling measurement technique allowed the UPC to win against competitors like the Bull's-Eye code. He also describes the political maneuvering required to get the code selected by the Supermarket Institute without triggering backlash against IBM's dominance.