Rfid -- Engadget

rfid posts

Robotic 'mood tail' is everything you hope it to be, and more

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 15th 2009 at 6:43PM

Why hang on to your emotions when you can wag them proudly with a robotic mood tail? Sure, you may never have asked that question yourself, but intrepid DIYer Wei-Chieh Tseng seemingly has, and he's done something about it. Apparently, the tail makes use of the ever dependable Arduino and an RFID reader to detect different emotion cards that set off varying degrees of tail-wagging, or you can simply control the tail yourself using a Wii nunchuck -- because, why not? Did we mention there's a video? Check it out after the break.

Continue reading Robotic 'mood tail' is everything you hope it to be, and more

Winwatch wants RFID tags in your next wristwatch -- what could possibly go wrong?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 4th 2009 at 8:49PM

Looking to simultaneously trick your employees into thinking you love them and keep better tabs on their whereabouts? If so, you should definitely look into handing out Winwatch-approved timepieces as "performance incentives," which should be sporting an oh-so-telling RFID tag in the near future. The Switzerland-based outfit has just announced plans to patent an RFID-enabled crystal gasket that would be placed in luxury wristwatches, and while they're pushing it as a way for companies to weed out counterfeit products, we're sure the privacy advocates in attendance can think of far darker applications. Samples are slated to start shipping out later this autumn, which means your window to snag a non-voyeuristic watch is hastily closing.

[Via ABlogToRead]

Nabaztag can't make RFID cool, has to file for bankruptcy

by Darren Murph posted Aug 11th 2009 at 2:27AM

We always knew that any company courageous enough to take a technology designed to help mega-corps monitor their inventory levels and make it mainstream would face an uphill battle, but we never envisioned Nabaztag caving entirely to the pressure. If a snippet in a recent issue of Les Echos (a French financial paper) is to be believed, the creator of the rabbit-inspired Violet RFID Mirror has filed for bankruptcy, giving any company interested in keeping the brand alive until September 4th to toss out a cash infusion. Not like we're looking at you, Mr. VC, but we're definitely hoping to not be sobbing about this in just under a month. Tick, tock.

[Voa Loic Le Meur]

Freecom's Hard Drive Secure for the businessman paranoid

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 20th 2009 at 8:01AM

It might be a butchering of English grammar -- the adjective typically goes before the noun -- but the Hard Drive Secure does have a pretty unique selling point to offer. The USB 2.0 drive's security is handled by AES-encrypted RFID keycards -- swiping the card once unlocks the drive, swiping it again locks it back up. Using similar technology to London's Oyster Card, we trust Freecom has made sure their new device is not susceptible to the Mifare hack that exposed vulnerabilities in previous RFID systems. Though not yet available to purchase, the aluminum-enclosed HDD will retail for between $119 for the 500GB version and $409 for the 2TB behemoth, while in Euroland prices will range between €99 and €349.

[Via Bit Tech]

Apple patent applications offer glimpses of haptic screens, RFID readers, fingerprint ID

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 12:08PM

Alright, so you know the drill by now. A patent application doesn't necessarily mean an actual product is on the way -- but it's always fun to speculate, right? And this latest trio of applications from Apple certainly provides plenty of speculation fodder. The most notable of the lot is an application for a "multi-touch display screen with localized tactile feedback," which Apple seems to be at least considering as a possibility for the iPhone (or iPod touch). Like some similar systems, Apple's application covers a screen that uses a grid of piezoelectric actuators that can be activated at will to provide vibrational feedback when you touch the screen. Apple even goes so far as to use a virtual click wheel on an iPhone as an example. Other patent applications include a fairly self-explanatory RFID reader embedded in a touch screen, and a fingerprint identification system that could not only be used for security, but to identify individual fingers as an input method -- for instance, letting you use your index finger for play/stop and your middle finger to fast forward.

Schematic's Cannes touchwall identifies users via RFID, almost escapes gimmick status

by Paul Miller posted Jun 26th 2009 at 8:51AM

We love us a good multitouch wall experience, sizing up and rotating irrelevant bits of media like the Tom Cruise wannabes we are, but this new multitouch wall unveiled by Schematic at the Cannes Lions advertising festival almost brings the tech into the realm of relevance. The main innovation is the identification of specific users through the swipe of an RFID badge, allowing multiple users to operate the display simultaneously with personalized data and "social" functionality. Schematic's dream really is a Minority Report-style world of advertising, but until that chilling future is fully realized, we suppose we can handle a few gimmicky multitouch walls and half-developed socializing functionality in the near term. Hit up the read link for video.

Thinergy micro-battery retains charge for years, very easy to misplace

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 25th 2009 at 2:44AM

As you know, it wouldn't be a typical day in the blog mines without some revolutionary battery news, and for today's fuel cell fix we'd like to present the Thinergy Micro Energy Cell. Developed by Infinite Power Solutions and consisting of "a new class of electronic component that bridges the performance gap between batteries and supercapacitors," the battery is downright lilliputian: about the thickness of a postage stamp, and half the area at its smallest. Since the battery requires a minimum of four volts to charge (with the ability to hold its charge for years) these guys are perfect for RFID cards and Big Brother-style thought-control implants. Tinfoil helmet squad: You've been warned!

[Via Red Ferret]

Violet starts shipping Nano:ztags in the US

by Darren Murph posted May 19th 2009 at 3:59PM

Like the Rolly, it's hard to say exactly why having an RFID-enabled Nano:ztag in your life will make sleeping, eating and breathing each day any easier. In fact, the jury's still out on whether these things are simply novel or primed to take over where the Tamagotchi left off. Starting now, Violet is offering a rainbow's worth of its micro Rabbit devices here in the US, with prices ranging from $6.90 to $12.90 depending on color. Now, if only you could figure out how to integrate RFID into your life, you'd be set.

New York Times R&D group is braced for the future of content delivery, being totally chill

by Paul Miller posted May 11th 2009 at 11:23AM

In a collision of journalistic labs heretofore unseen, the folks at Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab hit up The New York Times' R&D lab for a look at what those ink-stained word-slingers think about the future of newspaper delivery. Nick Bilton, "Design Integration Editor" at the NY Times, and ever calm in the face of futurism, gave a guided tour of the devices they're currently looking at, and while there aren't a lot of surprises, it is nice to see they're taking ebooks, netbooks and touchscreen PCs all very seriously. Of particular note is a (sadly damaged) e-ink prototype with a newspapery layout, complete with typography, designed for an "e-ink device that [doesn't] exist yet." Nick also makes mention of Mary Lou Jepsen's upcoming Pixel Qi display, along with the marvelous world of RFID-based ads. Check out the full content delivery nerd-out on video after the break.

Continue reading New York Times R&D group is braced for the future of content delivery, being totally chill

CenTrak intros world's thinnest active RFID, opens new realm of possibilities

by Darren Murph posted May 5th 2009 at 9:11AM

Despite being oh-so-promising years ago, we've seen little innovation in the RFID space over the past several months. Today, however, CenTrak's proving that the dream is still somewhat alive. The outfit has just introduced the planet's thinnest hybrid active Radio Frequency Identification tag, which is said to be so thin that it's almost "indistinguishable from a standard employee badge." The IT-740 Staff Badge checks in at just three millimeters thick and includes a trio of programmable buttons, a system controlled LED, hole mounts for portrait or landscape orientation, water resistance for easy cleaning and "ultra long battery-life." For employees, rocking one of these guarantees that your superior will recognize every step you take, every move you make and every bond you break. Which, sadly enough, isn't nearly as bodacious as The Police make it sound. Bonus coverage after the break.

Gallery: CenTrak intros world's thinnest active RFID, opens new realm of possibilities

Continue reading CenTrak intros world's thinnest active RFID, opens new realm of possibilities

Nabaztag's Violet RFID-readin' USB Mirror now available

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 21st 2009 at 8:46AM

Looking for a brighter, cuter way to search for those RFID implants the government has hidden somewhere in your body? The Violet RFID Mirror is your gadget, and it's now shipping. Those not running from the NWO will find the $59.99 gadget has a myriad of other uses as well, letting you tag all sorts of things and have them trigger various applications. You could set your keys on it and have it launch a traffic report, or put your wallet on there to bring up your bank statement. You know, useless but still interesting stuff -- a lot like the company's multi-colored bunnies that seem to love to sit upon them.

[Via I4U]

Object-based media project brings iPhone and RFID together

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 15th 2009 at 2:08AM

RFID technology has turned up in plenty of surprising places, but there hasn't exactly been the explosion of iPhone-related development that you may have expected. The lack of an easily accessible RFID reader may have something to do with that, but that doesn't seem to have stopped the folks behind the Touch research project, who rigged up a not-so-discreet RFID reader and put it to some fairly inventive tasks. That includes assigning various media to different objects, like a Bob the Builder video clip that's linked to a Bob the Builder toy, a clip of Chuck Norris kicking a car in the face that's linked to a Chuck Norris action figure (which doesn't even have an RFID chip), and a dynamically-updated MAKE podcast that's linked to a slightly nerdy fellow. Of course, all of this is primarily a proof of concept, and the researchers behind the project see plenty of potential for other applications, including everything from gaming to marketing. Head on past the break to check it out in action.

[Thanks, Thorleif]

Continue reading Object-based media project brings iPhone and RFID together

Intelligent cat door utilizes Twitter, RFID masterfully

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2009 at 12:21AM

What goes well with a communication-enabled water dish? Why, a Twitter / RFID-enabled kitty door, of course! The so-called Tweeting Cat Door is undoubtedly the most hilarious, insightful and useful DIY contraption we've ever seen to wed RFID, social networking and computer programming. Essentially, this homegrown cat door was crafted to only open when Gus or Penny walks up with their super special RFID tags; once they approach, a mounted camera snaps a picture and uploads it (along with a quip) to Twitter. Don't deny it -- your feline is steaming with envy from the corner of your desk right now.

[Via Switched]

Print magazine + RFID = hyperbole

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 3:27PM

Adding to an exclusive -- but growing -- list of things that were just as well off before running headlong into RFID technology, the next issue of France's Amusement Magazine is billing itself as the "first ever connected to the Internet!" The PR we received for this bad boy asks some questions: "What if a magazine... could consist of paper, ink, electronic components and digital content all at the same time? What if the contents of a magazine could go on living forever in cyberspace? What if the difference between written and digital text finally becomes one in the same?" May we add one more question to the list? How about, "why can't you just throw in a CD-ROM / DVD-ROM like everybody else?" Or maybe, "What am I supposed to do with this?" If you're a Francophone with a Violet Mir:ror laying around, hit that read link. PR after the break.

Continue reading Print magazine + RFID = hyperbole

Violet brings Mir:ror to the States, let the RFID superfluity begin!

by Paul Miller posted Mar 18th 2009 at 10:28AM

While initially enthused at the prospect of RFID tagging our objects for swipability by a home-based RFID reader -- like Violet's new Mir:ror -- we eventually came the realization that we would never use it for anything, ever. Still, perhaps that's just us: Mir:or, which retails for $59, packs two Nano:ztags (the little bunnies with a tag inside) and three Ztamp:s (adhesive tags), allowing you to specify computer functions to trigger when the Mir:ror is approached by one of those RFID tags. A classic usage scenario involves placing your keys on the Mir:ror, with the device letting your computer know if your keys are resting there or not -- something potentially achieved by looking at the Mir:ror itself, if you're into spoilers, but hopefully hackers can put this to better use. Violet also offers tagged children's books, and a set of 12 extra Ztamp:s, for $8 and $20, respectively. Demo video is after the break.

Continue reading Violet brings Mir:ror to the States, let the RFID superfluity begin!