RFID - the 'new' you... "51 Futuristic Uses for RFID"

That's the ticket! These are things you could legitimately worry about. Not satellite tracking but doorframes.

I've got RFID tags on me all the time to get in the building here. One's on my keyring and the other's around my neck. For the door, I just bump the reader with my key pocket and walk in.

But think about it in your schools - what if the doors won't open if you're a molester? What if you can't get into Chucky Cheese if you have a history of sexual molestation or the like? Things like that would be a way to sell it.

Yeah, obviuoslyu the fear factor of what could happen if you 'don't' take it up, will be the underlying factor of forcing people to see the light...a few abduction stories here, a few school shootings there, a peadophile by the kids playarea of macdonalds, yeah it will easily be taken up.

But then, when they say you have to have it to get out of the state, or country, or you need it to make sure you are human and not alien (forseeing the biggest need to take it up, an alien invasion), or no credit or payments without it, we'll just say...yah ok then!

The big question is, would you refuse outright? what might happen if you did?

The clubbers are one example of desensitizing the world to the idea that it is both safe, and hip. Well, it may not be so in the future, but it was a great way of advertising its arrival

Hi All,

I work in a retail technology field and have been around the RFID tags for a little while now. As mentioned before I think there are 2 main types of active and passive tags.

The active ones are pretty big (much to large to be implanted etc.) at least they are at the moment.

The passive ones which only work within a few feet and have no power source but only work to return a short range signal are much like a sticker.

When I was at the trade show I wanted to place a few on my colleges back or something and have them show up as a blip on a tracking screen and follow them about the building for fun. But this wasnt possible I was told as something about being on or very near a person causes them not to work (cant remember specific reason).

Anyhow I was told the only way you could get one to work on a person would be to put it outside of a heavy coat or something. Just putting it on the outside of a shirt or something doesnt work.

What would be interesting/scary is if they find a way to make the passive RFID tags active by powering them by your bodys electrical current or something.

I can't think of any reason why an RFID wouldn't work near a person. You are correct, though, that an active RFID would probably be too large to play that kind of prank with.

As for the last part:

What would be interesting/scary is if they find a way to make the passive RFID tags active by powering them by your bodys electrical current or something

I have seen work being done in this area, although the work applies to electronic chips in general, which includes RFIDs. I have a whole bunch of slides I downloaded from a school course on the subject, but I don't think I can give them to you, for copyright reasons; my former professor might get annoyed if his slides made it into someone else's lecture without due credit :p

But yeah, there is work being done on trying to generate enough power from the kinetic energy produced by normal human movements, or by the body heat of the skin, or that kind of thing. They can actually make power this way, just not yet enough to do anything useful, that I know of, anyway.

There are plenty of non-intrusive uses for RFID, but then again there are probably a lot more nefarious uses for the chip as well.

My firends are opening a clothing store that is 100% RFID enabled. This will allow them to let customers take clothes into a dressing room, and the dressing room would know what clothes they have and offer them in other sizes and colors though touch screen technology. On top of that, once you have become "preferred shopper" so to speak, you can walk in, the RFID in your store card would identify who you are, what you like, and so on, culminating in the ability to never have to swipe a card again to pay. Once you set your clothes on the counter, the machine tallies the total through the RFID tags on your clothes, and charges it to your card automatically.

It is a pretty cool, idea and I cant wait to hear how it turns out, butwhat other non intrusive uses are there, similar to the one I just listed, anyone?

I think it is a double edged sword. It could go either way.

Other uses are that if you have a life threatening diese and you need help, the medics can 'read' your data stored and help you.

It could also be used to track alien abductees, but nobody seems to think that is viable apart from me

YOu coudl update those clapms crminals wear when on parole and have to stay in the home, and for peadophiles, like an alternative to prison or something.

It could also be used to show your credit rating say, or your next of kin!

If they can get two chips to fuse and create a third, miniature chip, then this could be formed in the bby as it develops, so the baby arrives already chipped.

They could also use it in kidnappings or to protect government leaders if they are kidnapped.

They could use them with twins, I can never figure out who is who!

Lots of good uses, now does this ovrride the 'negative aspects or not?


[edit on 29/6/2007 by deaman88]