Startup helps retailers track their products in real-time

June 5, 2026 - 10:54

A startup called Cartesian is offering retailers a new way to track their products in real time, using a system that originated from research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The technology relies on wireless signals emitted from RFID tags attached to individual items. Unlike standard barcode scanning, which requires a worker to manually check each product, Cartesian's system can pinpoint the exact location of any tagged item anywhere in a store, from the back of a stockroom shelf to a display on the sales floor.

The core innovation lies in how the system interprets the signals. Traditional RFID setups can tell a retailer that a product is somewhere in the building, but they often lack the precision needed to find a specific shirt or pair of shoes among hundreds of similar items. Cartesian's software uses algorithms to analyze the signal strength and timing from multiple receivers, allowing it to map an item's position down to a few feet. This means employees can quickly locate misplaced merchandise, verify that online orders are actually in stock for pickup, and reduce the time spent on manual inventory counts.

For retailers, the appeal is clear. Lost or misplaced inventory costs the industry billions each year in lost sales and wasted labor. By providing a live, accurate map of every product, Cartesian aims to help stores operate more efficiently and improve the customer experience. The company has already begun working with several major retail chains, though it has not disclosed specific partners. As the technology scales, it could become a standard tool for stores looking to bridge the gap between their digital and physical operations.