The Dallas Morning News reports that while radio frequency identification (RFID) technology “has become a logistical lubricant, helping massive organizations such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the Defense Department track shipments of diapers and tank parts,” expectations that there also would be consumer applications have largely gone unfulfilled.
“The so-called smart home, with self-monitoring milk cartons that alert the Internet-connected fridge when it's time to order more, is still just a prototype,” the Morning News writes. However, this “vision of the connected world – billions of chips talking wirelessly with billions of other chips about everything from temperature changes to the price of a candy bar in the office vending machine – will become a reality over the next several years, experts say.”
The writes that “some big consumer applications for RF technology are already here. One little known but widely deployed consumer application for RFID is in car keys. A sensor in the steering column detects the chip in the key and lets you turn the car on, preventing thieves from using a counterfeit key that doesn't have a chip.”
In addition, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is one of just two airports in the world tagging luggage with RFID tags to cut down on lost bags.
“The so-called smart home, with self-monitoring milk cartons that alert the Internet-connected fridge when it's time to order more, is still just a prototype,” the Morning News writes. However, this “vision of the connected world – billions of chips talking wirelessly with billions of other chips about everything from temperature changes to the price of a candy bar in the office vending machine – will become a reality over the next several years, experts say.”
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In addition, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is one of just two airports in the world tagging luggage with RFID tags to cut down on lost bags.
- KC's View:
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We’re not sure that it technically is a use of RFID, but we have a new Nissan Murano that has what’s called an “intelligent key” system – you just carry the key fob around in your pocket, and not only does the car recognize it from a distance and allow you to open the car without using an actual key, but if you have the fob in your pocket you don’t even need to put a key in the ignition.
Which is very cool. Especially when the seat adjusts to your personal settings automatically.
If this is the future of RFID, then we’re all for it.
