Another interesting release from google - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/07/google_favourite_places/ linking favourite places on google maps with real life. Essentially the system uses barcodes in particular places, the user takes a picture and pxts it to a server and the phone gets back the details. RFID or NFC may make this slightly easier.
This sort of thing also raises the issue of privacy and anonymity.
My definition is that anonymity means that you cannot be identified
Privacy means that information about you is only released when you think it is appropriate.
My personal view is that there is little credible right to anonymity - in a public place it is always possible that someone could recognise you, and there is no way to legislate against that. However a stronger right to privacy- which can include information derived from publically available sources (data matching) seems reasonable.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Big Bang Theory
On the TV last night 21st October ( episode not yet on TVNZ Website )
Sheldon was busy tagging his socks with RFID so he could select the correct ones for different situations. Very similar to the "magic" bag http://www.hinz.org.nz/uploads/file/2008conference/P08.pdf . One thing I wondered was why he didn't use that technology to ensure that he didn't forget his USB stick ?
Sheldon was busy tagging his socks with RFID so he could select the correct ones for different situations. Very similar to the "magic" bag http://www.hinz.org.nz/uploads/file/2008conference/P08.pdf . One thing I wondered was why he didn't use that technology to ensure that he didn't forget his USB stick ?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
On-body tagging
Interesting US Patent (7,602,301 - link)
on a system to record human movement based around on-board sensors, and then uplinking via cellular or other networks. To me, one of the intersting aspects, particularly in terms of activity tracking is the degree to which already installed sensors and tracking devices along with existing infrastructuctures can support it. This is already a commonplace in terms of cell-phone tracking, but I just got to wondering if what we will end up tracking is people's things, not them. For example if exoskeletons (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/10/hal_robot_exoskeletons_available_for_rent-2/) catch on, tracking their ;location and settings and hence inferrring activity should be trivial.
on a system to record human movement based around on-board sensors, and then uplinking via cellular or other networks. To me, one of the intersting aspects, particularly in terms of activity tracking is the degree to which already installed sensors and tracking devices along with existing infrastructuctures can support it. This is already a commonplace in terms of cell-phone tracking, but I just got to wondering if what we will end up tracking is people's things, not them. For example if exoskeletons (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/10/hal_robot_exoskeletons_available_for_rent-2/) catch on, tracking their ;location and settings and hence inferrring activity should be trivial.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
RFID for healthcare
There is a call for papers for a micro edition of the open medical informatics journal - for RFID in healthcare - at http://www.bentham.org/open/tominfoj/Special-Issues.htm Off to HINZ next week (www.hinz.org.nz), It will be interesting to see if the health IT industry is moving forward in this area.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
RFID for conception
From the RFID journal, an interesting approach to using RFID enabled systems as data-loggers http://www.temperatureconcepts.com/ a UK-based company has a device that detects ovulation by logging armpit temperature and then downloading the data via RFID. What is interesting is that the RFID element is used as a communication channel, which is turned off most of the time, rather than a conventional zygbee or mobile phone type device. In some ways its not RFID at all, its just piggybacking on the fact that readers are cheap and RFID technology allows this sort of reader- powered data transmission to be implemented easily. The device is pretty expensive - 500 UKP but this is a nice market to be in and one could conceive (sorry) of models where people hire them or are lent them as part of a fertility programme.
The model of using RFID as a data transmission tool is certainly interesting, and it may be that there is a markte for "dumb" tags, "Smart" tags and communication tags too.
The model of using RFID as a data transmission tool is certainly interesting, and it may be that there is a markte for "dumb" tags, "Smart" tags and communication tags too.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Is it you, or is it me ?
RFID in new zealand passed a new milestone when RFID tags were mentioned on "Shortland Street" - http://tvnz.co.nz/shortland-street-episodes/happened-wednesday-2758512
"TK is disturbed by the strange microchip he finds in Jeff's skin, which he identifies as a pet identification advice. When Jeff reveals his wife is a vet, TK is certain something sinister is going on. " I won't spoil the plot but the RFID tag is not the villan of the piece.
"TK is disturbed by the strange microchip he finds in Jeff's skin, which he identifies as a pet identification advice. When Jeff reveals his wife is a vet, TK is certain something sinister is going on. " I won't spoil the plot but the RFID tag is not the villan of the piece.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Twitter and RFID
Linking twitter and the real world - http://www.switched.com/2009/04/06/twitter-enabled-cat-door-tweets-a-kittys-comings-and-goings/
a twitter enabled RFID catflap is obviously a bit silly, but this may be one of the solutions to data management for RFID. As H1N1 appears to be becoming pandemic, maybe linking the movement of people and contacts as measured by RFID to twitter is a sensible approach...
More web 2.0 stuff..
also, just playing with the webby winning wordle... I put my PhD abstract through wordle and it looks like: http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/929516/Phd_Abstrat_-_fuzzy_Ontology
a twitter enabled RFID catflap is obviously a bit silly, but this may be one of the solutions to data management for RFID. As H1N1 appears to be becoming pandemic, maybe linking the movement of people and contacts as measured by RFID to twitter is a sensible approach...
More web 2.0 stuff..
also, just playing with the webby winning wordle... I put my PhD abstract through wordle and it looks like: http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/929516/Phd_Abstrat_-_fuzzy_Ontology
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Disclaimer
As always nothing in this BLOG represents AUT policy or a comittment to buy/endorse or marry any one or thing.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
RFID on the Skifield
Apparently Whakapapa Skifield (http://www.mtruapehu.com/) in the central north island is introducing RFID -based season tickets. This could help to solve one of the biggest problems I seem to have when skiing - where were we supposed to meet ? As a snowboarder who falls down a lot and isn't as resilient as 20 years ago, I find having a mobile available often means it gets stuck in your ribs. However if the pass itself could alow you to track the locations of your party members then that would be great....
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
RFID and Kiwifruit
Article in the NZ herald -about the use of RFID in kiwifruit warehouses. A well established application, its particularly interesting as it integrates cameras and RFID technology and puts the readers on the forklifts.
Another bit of commercial news, DHL are running adverts in the economist magazine about using teperature sensing RFID for pharmaceutical cold-chain applications. This seems to be the technology described in this announcement, DHL seems to have blown hot and cold (!) about RFID, but this seems to be now establishes. Also in this weeks economist a lot about health technology and applications of IT and RFID. Maybe President Obama's investment in Health IT will also stimulate demand in this area. IEEE seems to think that the future is bright in that area
Another bit of commercial news, DHL are running adverts in the economist magazine about using teperature sensing RFID for pharmaceutical cold-chain applications. This seems to be the technology described in this announcement, DHL seems to have blown hot and cold (!) about RFID, but this seems to be now establishes. Also in this weeks economist a lot about health technology and applications of IT and RFID. Maybe President Obama's investment in Health IT will also stimulate demand in this area. IEEE seems to think that the future is bright in that area
Sunday, February 22, 2009
belt and braces
I have on my desk the packaging from an electric toothbrush, it has a barcode, RFID and magnetic tag attached to it.
This sort of thing commonly happens when new technology is introduced, older standards continue to be supported at least for a time – look at the introduction of digital TV http://www.digitaltvandradio.co.uk/
. However there is another aspect, that there is actually a complex ecosystem of tagging and that RFID tags do not fulfill the complete needs of businesses in two areas:
1) Uncooperative security ie where the punter might want to take the item from the shop without it being scanned
2) Point access - where the item is only scanned at one point ie checkout.
Its hard to see how current RFID tags can completely fulfill the first role, as essentially disabling them is not difficult and they tend to be larger and harder to conceal. I've noticed that PAK'nSAVE are now putting magnetic anti-theft strips into meat labels, so the unit cost must be relatively low. However a model that trusts the customer as in "self scan" systems may well not need such control and may be more appropriate. The second point is more technical and may require specialist ariel design.
This sort of thing commonly happens when new technology is introduced, older standards continue to be supported at least for a time – look at the introduction of digital TV http://www.digitaltvandradio.co.uk/
. However there is another aspect, that there is actually a complex ecosystem of tagging and that RFID tags do not fulfill the complete needs of businesses in two areas:
1) Uncooperative security ie where the punter might want to take the item from the shop without it being scanned
2) Point access - where the item is only scanned at one point ie checkout.
Its hard to see how current RFID tags can completely fulfill the first role, as essentially disabling them is not difficult and they tend to be larger and harder to conceal. I've noticed that PAK'nSAVE are now putting magnetic anti-theft strips into meat labels, so the unit cost must be relatively low. However a model that trusts the customer as in "self scan" systems may well not need such control and may be more appropriate. The second point is more technical and may require specialist ariel design.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
