Economist.com Until now, size and production cost were the main obstacles that stopped companies from embedding identification chips in everyday items. But Hitachi has managed to create an integrated circuit that is not only tiny but cheap. The company expects a single chip to cost less than ¥20 (16 cents). Originally, the chip was built in an attempt to foil counterfeiters. It is small and thin enough to be woven into paper, and folding does not harm it. In combination with a bar-code reader, the chips can prove the authenticity of money or official documents, thwarting counterfeiters before they have even begun.