April 09, 2007
Top 15 Weirdest, Funniest, and Scariest Uses of RFID
You will be hard-pressed to find an article about RFID that doesn't march out the clichéd "Big Brother" reference. Indeed, RFID's growing popularity has a lot of paranoid people running scared. It isn't all paranoia, however. While some RFID applications are rather ominous, there are some pretty amusing ones, too. You might find the following 15 uses for RFID both interesting and surprising.
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Preventing Toilets From Overflowing
What home would be complete without a high-tech toilet? Now you can purchase a "smart" toilet, one that shuts itself off when it is close to overflowing. According to AquaOne, their RFID-enhanced toilets are not only convenient, they prevent health risks in public places like hospitals and nursing homes. While the latter may be a bit of a stretch (who's licking the floor?), a toilet that never overflows sounds very appealing.
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Identifying Human Remains
Hurricane Katrina left behind many unclaimed casualties, despite the tireless searches by countless people. Thanks to the VeriChip, RFID tags are now being used to locate bodies in an effort to reunite loved ones. Not only does this help to identify cadavers during transport, coroners are now able to collect body parts for burial in their rightful places. A morbid use for RFID, yes, but many people are appreciative when they are finally able to lay their friends and family members to rest.
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Getting Into Nightclubs There was a time when you merely had to look good or know someone special, but soon you might also need RFID tag implants to party in the VIP section. The Barcelona hotspot Baja Beach Club is now grafting said tags into the arms of patrons who want instant access to the exclusive hangout. Not only will the tag identify you, it also functions as a debit card. Since many of Baja Beach Club's customers wear only bathing suits, this eliminates the awkwardness of carrying their wallets in their shoes.
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Cooking With Robots Yes, we are now one step closer to a Jetson era, as robotic cooking is making its way into people's homes. Believe it or not, robotic pots and pans with RFID chips in the handles make is almost impossible to botch a meal. With these RFID chips, the cookware can be coordinated with a recipe card that has a similar chip. Then, the cookware will set its temperature and duration to the exact specifications the food calls for. In theory, it should make chefs out of all of us. At the very least, it would make an interesting gift for mom.
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Timing Athletic Events No, this doesn't involve implanting chips in runners' feet (although someone is bound to try that eventually). RFID transponders are being used as timing systems in major sporting events all over the world, including the Boston Marathon and Ironman championships. With a chip attached to an athlete's shoe, bicycle, etc., timing can begin and end with the utmost accuracy, as the timer stops when the person crosses the finishing mat. This mat contains an antenna that will be signaled by the RFID chip. The technology is especially handy in the event of a very close finish between competitors.
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Tracking Wheels of Cheese
It seems that the Dairy Farmers of America feel their cheese could use a little more oversight as it passes through the supply chain. In an effort to track their cheese through each process and handler until it is sold, RFID tags are being placed just under the edges of the food products. Why do they do this? Apparently, the industry is having problems with theft, loss, and even counterfeit cheese. While the idea of black market cheese may sound ridiculous to us, consider this: just one wheel of parmesan cheese can be worth several hundred dollars.
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Finding Lost Golf Balls Does RFID mean never having to lose a golf ball again? Well, not exactly. While it does mean you will be able to pinpoint your ball's location, you still won't want to wade through a pond for it. However, long hikes through the rough will be a thing of the past, not to mention all the strokes you will save by finding your ball right away. As costs go down and tournaments become more accepting, "smart" balls may improve the game significantly.
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Monitoring Casinos
What you're thinking right now is, "Casinos are already heavily monitored." True, but the unique betting habits of each player can now be logged, thanks to RFID tags inside betting chips. The chips not only keep track of high rollers and their spending patterns, they make it even harder for thieves to counterfeit chips or steal them from other players. All of this technology is used, of course, to stack more odds in the house's favor.
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Tracking Razor Blades
Thanks to low-cost RFID tags, Gillette can now afford to place small transponders in each package of their popular razor products. This is done in an attempt to salvage more razors as they make their way through a very convoluted supply chain. As the products are so small, many of them are lost or stolen. While it might sound trivial for the company to worry about losing a razor here and there, the problem is really far worse than that. It is estimated that Gillette's Mach 3 razor, retailing at more than $10 each, is one of the most commonly stolen items in a general store.
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Tracking Bees
Who knew that beekeeping was such a cutthroat business? Apparently, the shortage of bee hives in America has taken its toll on industries that depend on the bees' pollination. Almond growers, for instance, need the bees to pollinate their almond flowers. What this results in is the theft of bee hives, something that could cost beekeepers their very livelihood. Each bee hive is worth hundreds of dollars, which is why their owners are now tracking them with RFID tags.
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Issuing Passports
To many people, this may be one of the scariest applications for RFID tags. The US State Department has approved of passports with microchips inside and the technology is already being tested in trials. While the government maintains that its purpose is to improve communication between law enforcement agencies, others feel there will be more sinister repercussions.
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Guiding the Blind
Robots with RFID chips are currently being tested as guides for the blind. Inventor Vladimir Kulyukin isn't looking to replace guide dogs with machines, however. Says Kulyukin, "Simply speaking, we are trying to develop a robot for use as a mobile grocery cart used for the blind in supermarkets." While this sound noble enough, it is hard to imagine many grocery stores lining up expensive robot helpers next to the regular carts. It's hard enough to find a cart without a defective wheel on it.
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Keeping Surgeons in Check
The last thing you want to hear your surgeon say is, "Oops". Apparently, they must say that a lot because patients are now being outfitted with the SurgiChip, an RFID monitor with patient information stored in it. According to SurgiChip's Web site, this device is intended to "Prevent the '3 W's' - Wrong Patient, Wrong Site, Wrong Surgery". If the need for this product doesn't make you take better care of yourself, nothing will.
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Stocking Your Refrigerator
"Smart" refrigerators, programmed with RFID tags, allow for you to track items as they enter and leave the appliance. This invention was once discussed as a futuristic possibility, but now Samsung is finally developing some for common household use. Not only will this refrigerator alert you when you are out of certain items, it will make suggestions for recipes that can be made from the items currently in stock.
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Getting Stock Tips From Your Wallet
Okay, so you can't really get stock tips from your wallet. Not yet, that is. Scientists in Massachusetts are working with RFID chips and fabric, designing various "smart" clothes, such as a handbag that will tell you if you left your lipstick at home. Wearable computing even has a new name — "pervasive computing" — and although the lipstick example may not sound groundbreaking, clothing that monitors a soldier's heartbeat and blood pressure does.
With RFID becoming both smarter and smaller, the possibilities for its uses are endless. While this poses certain ethical dilemmas for government and commercial operations, it also simplifies life for the common person. As medical benefits are explored further, RFID tags will not only be used for convenience and profit, but for saving lives. And while RFID detractors continue to cry foul, the rest of us will be left to enjoy our robotic toilets.
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