July 03, 2006
RFID DIY Projects - Of (Wo)Men And Cyborgs
So you've read a little about RFID technology and are interested in finding out more. Maybe you fancy yourself electronics hobbyist. Want to make your own RFID-enabled door? [found via Makezine] A similar RFID Proximity Security System project is discussed by Craig Ross and Ricardo Goto, students at Cornell. If you need something to read tags with, a Seattle Web project includes free software and a couple of PDF files explaining how to build your own handheld RFID reader.
On the other hand, if you're put off by RFID technology, you could do what this person did: take apart the RFID-enabled SmarTrip card used for transit payments in Washington, D.C. Or you could be more proactive. The RFID zapper is designed to disable RFID tags using "micro-waves".
Then there are those who seem enamoured of the thought of being cyborgs. RFID Toys is a new book by Amal Graafstra, who took do-it-yourself to a new height and self-implanted an RFID chip into one the webbing of one hand. Later, he had another chip implanted in the other hand.
Graafstra uses these chips to open doors and more. His RFID Toys website doesn't have much information if you haven't got access, but there is a free bonus chapter in PDF format. You can also buy an RFID kit there, which can be put together to build a reader. BME Zine has an article detailing the RFID implant in Graafstra's left hand, including pictures and some videos.
But Professor Kevin Warwick, from England, has gone beyond Graafstra, allowing all manner of implants into his body. He intends to become some sort of cyborg, and has even had an electrode array "surgically implanted into the median nerve fibres" of his left arm. Instead of trying to explain, I'll just direct you to his website.
And it's not just a cyberboys party. Meghan Trainor had an RFID chip implanted into her arm as part of her Arts degree Master's thesis, for the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) of Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. (Follow the link, and scroll down past the computer code for the text entries of her weblog/ thesis.)
I guess these people can be said to really embrace technology.
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