What are RFID Tags?
Tracking Everything, Everywhere, All The Time
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The source of all that information will lie with Radio Frequency ID tags, or RFID tags for short. They can range in size from as large as a grain of sand to as small as a speck of dust. At this size, they can be placed in absolutely everything without our knowing about - even in food, if the FDA gives its approval. The period at the end of this sentence should give you a good idea of how large the tags should be in the future.
RFIDs are already in widespread use for limited applications. Pet owners can get their dog or cat "chipped" with a special tag that will allow them to be identified by scanner should they ever get lost or stolen. EZ-Pass tags that allow you to drive right through a toll both or get fuel without doing anything but pumping gas are based upon RFID technology.
RFID tags in consumer items are expected employ something called EPC, or electronic product code. Most people have seen UPC codes used to identify products, but EPCs take a giant leap forward. A UPC code can only be used to identify categories of items - for example, every example of a certain edition of a book can have the same UPC code. This allows retailers to track trends for the entire edition, but they cannot use the UPC to differentiate between one particular book and another.
But that's where RFID comes in. With RFID, there will be enough numbers to track every individual book. And every individual tire. And every individual pair of pants. Every single item on the entire plant could, in theory, get its own number that will allow it to be tracked no matter where it goes. How this happens is a marvel of technology.
RFID tags are too small to have their own power source that would allow them to transmit a signal, but they don't need one. RFID receivers can transmit radio waves seeking out the tags; these waves, in turn, serve to power the tags and allow them to respond back by transmitting their unique number. For the most part scanners can only read the tags from a few inches to a few feet away - but more sensitive equipment can increase this distance.
Currently RFID tags are somewhat expensive - as much as 60 cents each, too much to justify widespread use. That cost is expected to drop dramatically, however - perhaps to fractions of a cent once mass production really takes off. This will allow manufacturers to place tags in everything they make even as it is created. Everything that is made will then be capable of being tracked and monitored.
What this means is that pretty soon, you will walk into a store to buy RFID-tagged chicken with RFID-cash while wearing your RFID-tagged jeans. You will then travel in a car with RFID-tagged tires to a picnic with an RFID-tagged grill and eat potato salad made with RFID-tagged vegetables. The government will know every step of your movement - and so will anyone else with an RFID scanner and an interest in what you do with your day.
More: Are RFID Tags Valuable?
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