Barbie Gets a Credit Card All Her Own

Accenture has produced a prototype Barbie designed to show off silent commerce. Using microprocessors, sensors and radio-frequency tags, combined with continuous wireless Internet connectivity, the doll notes objects containing microchips in her surroundings and autonomously issues purchasing instructions for those she is configured to like. "Its true significance is as an object that is capable of making decisions. In the future, we expect this to open up huge marketing opportunities," says Dr. Martin Illsley, associate partner at Accenture Technology Labs in France.