New encoding schemes with infofuses

Information technology is an area of such broad importance that almost all new methodologies find uses. ^[1] Most information derived from chemistry, and especially from some form of analysis, proceeds by a path in which a sensor (e.g., an analytical instrument) using electrical power generates information, which is then encoded and transmitted in a separate step, again using electrical power, to a separate unit, which may be local or distant, for processing and interpretation. We ^[2,3] and others ^[4-7] are exploring schemes in which information is transmitted directly, without using electrical energy. Such schemes have the potential to be useful where electrical power is not reliably available or where other constraints (e.g., size) argue for other types of solutions.