Reelables is showing a new way to track shipped packages using inexpensive paper-based electronics that are on one side of a shipping label.
Making its debut at CES 2025, the tech uses paper-based electronics that have been around for a while — I wrote about them when Xerox partnered with Thinfilm in 2015 to make printed circuits on thin materials. But almost a decade later, the cost for this kind of infrastructure has come down so that Reelables can embed 5G and GPS tracking electronics, along with a coated zinc battery, in a shipping label.
Tracking packages today is possible, but you have to trust in the shipping company to do it correctly for you, and often you only get to know what city it’s in. With this, you’ll be able to tell where it is anywhere there isa 5G cellular connection. That means if it reaches its destination, you’ll know and have peace of mind that what you sent to somebody really got there.
If your package goes off course or is stolen by someone, you’ll be able to figure that out as well and report the theft. This might not lead to you getting the package back. But it might give you more confidence in the whole shipping system.
The company will off the product at CES 2025 at LVCC North Hall, Booth 8364.
How it works
Reelables has printed electronics under its shipping labels.
An industry first in printed electronics, Reelables will be showing its latest, paper-thin, printable cellular shipping labels at CES, said Brian Krejcarek, founder of Reelables, in a message to GamesBeat.
He said these smart labels look like ordinary UPS or FedEx labels, but connect to cellular networks to live track packages and cargo with real GPS location data, independent of the shipping carriers. They don’t rely upon cumbersome and error-prone barcode scanning by delivery drivers or warehouse workers, he said.
“This is a game-changer because this new category of smart labels doesn’t require the installation of expensive RFID readers or infrastructure,” Krejcarek said. “The range of typical passive RFID labels is only 10-15 feet or less. The range of Reelables active beaconing labels is similar to a mobile phone, connecting to cell towers miles away. Or, in the case of Reelables Bluetooth labels, the range of several hundred feet. T …