RFID-based world looms
A pilot project involving dozens of volunteers in the University of Washington's computer science building provides the next step in social networking, wirelessly monitoring people and things in a closed environment, says Science Daily.
The radio frequency identification (RFID) Ecosystem project aims to create a world that many technology experts predict is just on the horizon, said project leader Magda Balazinska, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering.
The project explores the use of RFID tags in a social environment. The team has installed 200 antennas in the Paul Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering. Early next month, researchers will begin recruiting 50 volunteers from about 400 people who regularly use the building.
Ford keeps track of truck tools
Ford Motor is teaming up with ThingMagic to help ensure construction workers always carry the right tools for the job, reports Boston.com.
The system they're developing, called Tool Link, will feature personal computers in Ford's popular F-series pickup trucks.
An RFID tag system will let a truck automatically take inventory of the tools it's carrying.
NHS loses smart cards
More than 4 000 National Health Service (NHS) smart cards used to access a range of electronic systems and applications have gone missing since they were introduced two-and-a-half years ago, according to ZDNet.
A freedom of information request by GP magazine Pulse found a total of 4 147 smart cards have been lost, 142 of which have been stolen.
Of the 221 NHS bodies that replied to the freedom of information request, one in 10 said they had no idea how many cards had been lost or stolen.
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