Imagine if your money could talk back to you. Or how about your gift certificate or even your jewelry? Your new bracelet could talk all about how nice it is, how beautiful, how brilliant in color.
That is all possible now, thanks to scientists at the Hitachi Research Labs in Japan. They have developed a tiny little radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that is so small that it could be embedded in almost anything. The chip is tinier than the width of a strand of hair or a grain of sand and known commonly as the “powder chip.”. What is more, it can be mixed with paper pulp, making it available in everything from money for anti-counterfeit uses to that label on your shampoo bottle for marketing and inventory uses.
Walmart is one to be sure to embrace this new technology. They currently have one of the most sophisticated product tracking systems already in place, and the powder chip seems right up their alley.
Jewelry makers are also very interested in the chip. Embedded into rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc., the chip could be used to track the origins of the jewelry and prevent illegal selling.
Each chip can store a unique 38-digit number that can then be read by a RFID reader, revealing all sorts of information associated with that code.
This technology could essentially be used in the marketing of the future. Store shelves equipped with RFID readers could essentially speak to you about a particular brand of shampoo.
Is anyone else a little wary of this type of technology? The chips could essentially store personal information, as well. And being as small as dust, not so easy to find. I see a blockbuster movie in the works; a thriller along the lines of “Double Jeopardy.” Someone sprinkles a little of this radio dust on someone else to frame them for a murder they didn’t commit. Okay, so I have a vivid imagination.
Hitachi plans on having the chips available on the market in 2009.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com, where she shares money saving tips for today’s families.
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