The History of Magnetic Striped Media Technology

Magnetic striped media are used by more than 80% of the world's population.  They are swiped through slot readers more than 50 billion times a year.  They are used for financial transactions, automatic teller machines, mass transit access, identification, and access control devices.  Their information content is specified by national and international standards.

The magnetic striped media design is surviving through subsequent technolgies.  The Smart Cards with imbedded chips in teh media are still striped for transition and backup.  The mobile phone when used as a payment device emits the same data stream as recorded on the standard striped media.

This lecture will recount the history of the Magnetic Stripe, as well as provide a brief projection of the media-based industry through 2020.

Speaker: Jerome Svigals.