December 29, 2006
Tagging Tokyo With RFID + Wireless Tech
Ginza shopping district is being 10,000 RFID tags and infrared + wireless transmitters as part of the Tokyo Ubiquitous Network Project. Each beacon has its own unique code and the tags and transmitters will supply location information. The beacons are synced with an Internet server, and the idea is that, eventually, the system will help shoppers navigate this very popular shopping area. And in four languages, no less: English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (three of the big four Asian languages, typically labelled CJKV - though Vietnamese seems not to be part of this trial. [Korean is no surprise, as South Korea has been investing in RFID.]
This a brilliant, innovative use of RFID and wireless technologies. I'm assuming that besides the 3.5 inch touch panel terminal displays they're using in the trial, suitable RFID-enabled wristbands/ watches or even smartphones might possibly used in the future. For a different look at RFID-enabled grids, see the badge-tracking array experiment conducted at the latest Chaos Communication Congress.
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