ue identification that can be programmed with unalterable information about the package's source, destination, and contents. The device can then record whether the package it's attached to has been opened, closed, or tampered with in any way during shipping; by communicating with external readers, it can even tell shippers when and where such incidents occurred. The circuitry adds about $2 to a package's cost, notes Jakob Ehrensvärd, Cypak's CEO. "This is basically a chip on a sticker," he says. The reader presently costs about The Swedish Postal Service recently tested SecurePak for shipping high- value products, such as computer equipment, precious artworks, and govern- ment documents. Thord Axelsson, the agency's chief security officer, says the technology allows postal employees to almost instantly determine when and where a package has been opened, rather than waiting the one to two weeks that a manual investigation would require. SecurePak can even tell its user exactly how a package was tampered with, for example, if it was opened indirectly or if a knife was used on the package. The device's sensors also allow users to detect whether shipments have been exposed to potentially damaging environments, such as extreme heat or cold or traumatic shocks. Axelsson says the technology is cheap enough to be dis- posable, yet rugged enough to be reused several times. Although Axelsson was initially dubious that such a small, inexpensive technology could provide SO much information, the recent tests proved SecurePak's worth. "We can see now that they are working," he says. Cypak's disposable "cardboard computer" technology can also be used in pharmaceutical packaging. When a patient breaks open a blister pack to take a pill, the monitoring circuit records the date and time. The data is then read from the packaging when the user visits his or her doctor. "It confirms whether the patient is following the doctor's instructions," says Ehrensvärd. 6.6 VEHICULAR TELEMATICS Telematics-vehicle-based information systems-will 