Two of the largest consumers in the world, The Pentagon and Walmart are asking their suppliers to use Radio Frequency Identification - or RFID - tags on all shipments.
The high tech computer chips are rapidly replacing bar-codes for identifying and tracking consumer products.
Delta Airlines is trying it on luggage, and you may even be using it as you drive through tolls using EZ-PASS.
But not all of those radio waves are counting inventory these days.
One company in Portsmouth is using RFID to make hospitals more efficient - mainly by keeping tabs on patients and medical staff.
But critics have their concerns.
NHPR correspondent Dianne Finch has more.
