the life and times of endenizen » RFID

RFID devices (short for radio-frequency identification) have been around for quite a while. Mobil’s Speedpass uses this technology so you can “swipe” your credit information without actually sticking your credit card in strange slots. The U.S. government has said they will require RFID chips to be placed in all new passports by October 2006. This statement has generated plenty of controversy, since the information on the RFID chip will include the personal identification of the passport holder, but that’s a whole ‘nother story that I’m not too excited about at the moment.

What I *am* excited about, is the prospect of implanting a tiny chip into my hand so I can easily authenticate with a multitude of devices. Imagine your car door unlocking just when your hand reaches the handle; imagine logging onto your computer with a wave of your hand; imagine never again having to use the excuse, “I lost my keys.”

Forget biometric scanners or clunky “unlock buttons,” this is ubiquitous computing at its finest.

People around the world (mostly early-adopters of the latest tech gadgets) have tried RFID implants. Some night clubs in Spain have made Tuesday nights “Implant nights” for those who want to recieve their own chips so that the bar can literally keep “tabs” on the person. Others have hacked together their own hardware to open deadbolts or log them into a computer.

If you’d like more information, Amal Graafstra has an implant in each hand and is sort of an expert on the subject. He has a book on RFID coming out next month. The Tagged Forum is a good place to go for more information (or to fulfill all your government conspiracy theory needs). Phidgets sells one of the more popular chips used for implanting.