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Radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies provide security, improve inventory management and speed up everyday transactions at the grocery store, in airports and on the nation’s highways. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) E-Commerce Architecture Program (ECAP) has created this Web site as a public service to provide a balanced source of information about the use of RFID and potential privacy implications.

The RFID Systems Integration Laboratory invites vendors, users and above all, supporters of the Forum to contribute, participate and guide the set–up, experimentation and innovation at the RFID Lab. Users can suggest specific testing requirements for either software, hardware or assembled systems

The emergence of globally standardized frequencies and protocols, coupled with the rapidly declining cost of hardware, make RFID a technology that will pervade many aspects of modern life. It is widely accepted that current applications that work on infra-red bar codes will be completely taken over by RFID. Similar, secure access via RFID is a much more user-friendly authentication mechanism as compared to magnetic swipe cards (e.g. as currently used at CMU). Meanwhile, digital cameras and storage systems are increasingly becoming cheaper and more sophisticated. The goal of this proposed project is to build on our earlier effort called RFMaster with previous CyLab support to prototype a scalable tracking, logging and notification system for people and objects built using RFID, digital cameras and storage technologies. The system is aimed at enabling access to physical spaces such as buildings and rooms across campuses, corporate offices and warehouses.

Microsoft showed off a new product dubbed “TouchWall” at its CEO Summit in Redmond, Wash. today. As the name suggests, the product is an electronic whiteboard that you can control with a sweep of your hand. The technology resembles the Microsoft Surface electronic tables that the company recently started deploying in AT&T stores. But it’s much different in design. The Surface tables use a computer, a multi-touch display, and several cameras to project an image on the table that you can manipulate with your hands. It costs around $10,000 now and will be some time before it gets into homes. The TouchWall, on the other hand, costs maybe hundreds of dollars and is simpler, according to TechCrunch.

Microsoft showed off a new product dubbed “TouchWall” at its CEO Summit in Redmond, Wash. today. As the name suggests, the product is an electronic whiteboard that you can control with a sweep of your hand. The technology resembles the Microsoft Surface

Earlier versions of the WiFi specification all used the 2.4GHz radio spectrum. The new 802.11n standard, supported in Time Capsule, the square AirPort Extreme, and recently shipping AirPort Express units, allows users to alternatively select the use of 5GHz channels. This segment, the third of six, compares the pros and cons of using this new section of frequencies, which can be both problematic and provide a major boost in speed.

In computing, the Internet of Things refers to a, usually wireless and self-configuring, wireless network between objects, such as household appliances. If all cans, books, shoes or parts of cars are equipped with minuscule identifying devices, daily life on our planet will undergo a transformation. Things like running out of stock or wasted products will no longer exist as we will know exactly what is being consumed on the other side of the globe. Theft will be a thing of the past as we will know where a product is at all times. The same applies to parcels lost in the post. If all objects of daily life, from yogurt to an airplane, are equipped with radio tags, they can be identified and managed by computers in the same way humans can. The next generation of Internet applications (IPv6 protocol) would be able to identify more objects than IPv4 which is currently in use. This system would therefore be able to instantaneously identify any kind of object.[2]

Tiny microprocessors, sensors and tags are finding their way into everything from airport luggage to poker chips, pets, household appliances, car engines, pregnancy testers and blood-sugar monitors. Sensors take environmental readings remotely. RFID tags combine chips with wireless communications to identify and track products, shipping containers and other objects in real time. Technologies like the Cell Broadband Engine, developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM, are so powerful and flexible they can infuse game consoles, televisions or medical diagnostic devices with the processing, visualization and simulation capabilities of supercomputers.

The domain of Smart Objects is vast. As sensors for light, pressure, temperature, vibration, actuators, and other similar objects evolve, new applications and solutions are being created and implemented. Indeed, “smart cities”, “smart grid”, home and building automation, industrial applications, asset tracking, utility metering, etc are all taking of IP’s rich history and adaptability. Companies and consumers are ready for the level of automation that Smart Objects can bring. In order to satisfy the growing demand of information and standardization in the domain of the Internet of Things, more than 27 companies (IPSO Initial founders) have decided to join their efforts. The IPSO Alliance will perform interoperability tests, document the use of new IP-based technologies, conduct marketing activities and serve as an information repository for users seeking to understand the role of IP in networks of physical objects.

ThingM is a ubiquitous computing device studio. Here, networked electronics meet user experience design in products for everyday problem solving and self-expression. We bring together people's lives with cutting edge technologies to research and develop original products and services. ThingM's principals have been involved in devices that have orbited Mars, have been exhibited at the Milan Furniture Fair, and have been used by millions of people every day. We challenge conventional notions of what computers are for, how they look and where they can be found. Our specialty is making everyday things from the near future.

OpenSpime is a project of WideTag, Inc., a technology infrastructure company providing innovative solutions for an Open Internet of Things. Our open source technology empowers individuals, corporations, and governments to better understand their environment, through the use of a new generation of location-aware sensor networks.

The purpose of this session is to raise awareness that a new ecology of tiny interconnected objects is quickly and silently pervading even the most intimate corners of our lives, yet many companies are still reluctant to focus their R&D strategy in this area, because these "smart devices" are perceived as unreliable, and not mature enough to be transformed into commercial products. To promote research in the field of Internet of Things, we have invited six speakers that will present how they have converted some ideas and toys for hackers into readily available products used both in research and industrial applications.

It's called "The Internet of Things" -- at least for now. It refers to an imminent world where physical objects and beings, as well as virtual data and environments, all live and interact with each other in the same space and time. In short, everything is interconnected.

It's called "The Internet of Things" -- at least for now. It refers to an imminent world where physical objects and beings, as well as virtual data and environments, all live and interact with each other in the same space and time. In short, everything is

The conference, organized by Elgar Fleisch (University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich), Friedemann Mattern (ETH Zurich), and Sanjay Sarma (MIT), was the first that brought leading researchers and practitioners from both academia and industry together to facilitate sharing of applications, research results, and knowledge. The three-day event featured keynotes from industrial and academic visionaries, technical presentations of cutting-edge research, reports on the user-experience from seasoned practitioners, and hands-on demos of current technology.

When you walk in the building for the first time, if your cellphone is discoverable via bluetooth, you’ll receive a text message from DOK that says, “Welcome to the most modern library in the world,” a claim well-lived up to. There’s an RFID system for both library cards and books (with no privacy problems to date).

Gurus at Purdue University have conjured up a prototype device which, when injected into a tumor, can actually track the "precise dose of radiation received and locate the exact position [of the tumor] during treatment." Currently, the needle-sized device is held within a hermetically sealed glass capillary, contains a miniature radiation dosimeter, operates without batteries and instead relies on "electrical coils placed next to the patient" for activation. As small as the RFID-enabled unit is, engineers are still hoping to create a version that is around the size of a grain of rice, and hopes are to have it in clinical trials in 2010.

Gurus at Purdue University have conjured up a prototype device which, when injected into a tumor, can actually track the "precise dose of radiation received and locate the exact position [of the tumor] during treatment." Currently, the needle-sized device

a large-scale project with participants from various research groups at the University of Washington's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The project investigates user-centered RFID systems in connection with technology, business, and society. Past research on user applications of RFID has been limited to short-term technology and user studies in restricted scenarios. In contrast, the RFID Ecosystem provides a living laboratory for long-term, in-depth research in applications, databases, privacy, security, and systems.

Some University of Washington students, faculty and staff are being tracked as they move about the computer-science building, with details of where they've been, and with whom, stored in a database. Professor Gaetano Borriello checks a computer to find graduate student Evan Welbourne's last location: on the fourth floor, outside room 452 at 10:38 a.m. Wednesday. He opens another screen to reveal the building's floor plan, and a blinking green dot representing Welbourne shows him walking down the hall. If it seems a bit like Big Brother, that's the intention. The project is meant to explore both positive and negative aspects of a world saturated with technology that can monitor people and objects remotely.

researchers at the University of Washington would like to know if the future of social networking could be affected by these tags and check the balance between privacy and utility. They've deployed 200 antennas in one UW building and a dozen researchers are carrying RFID tags on them. According to the Seattle Times, all their moves are tracked every second in the building. Of course, it can be practical to know if a colleague is available for a cup of coffee. Still, it has of implications for privacy. As the lead researcher said, 'what we want to understand is what makes it useful, what makes it threatening and how to balance the two.'

This white paper provides an overview of RFID technology and capabilities, describes the common frequencies and technologies used in business applications, identifies major standards, and introduces ways to take advantage of RFID to improve convenience, accuracy, safety and security.

Streetline is a complete information system designed specifically for applications in urban resource management. Our platform integrates ultra-low power sensing with web-based solutions that you can use to simplify management right away, or customize to suit any policy or program. Streetline offers centralized access to the facts you've always needed for optimal management of city assets and public services. We provide useful reports, reporting tools and datasets, available to you securely over the internet. In many cases, our standard reports will be all you need. But those with specialized reporting needs will find it easy to get at information you've never seen before.

GE and CenTrak are teaming up to make the technology even more useful in those long, winding hallways. Simply hailed as RFID "virtual walls," the creation enables venues to "track tagged mobile medical equipment down to a portion of a single room." By providing sub-room-level distinction, personnel can locate hardware within a monitored area as tiny as 6- x 8-feet, and although it'll likely be used to locate cardiac defibrillators and portable ultrasound machines, patients could theoretically be tracked, too

GE and CenTrak are teaming up to make the technology even more useful in those long, winding hallways. Simply hailed as RFID "virtual walls," the creation enables venues to "track tagged mobile medical equipment down to a portion of a single room." By pro

The upcoming Beijing Olympics will see one of the largest, groundbreaking uses of RFID technology to date According to China’s Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, August’s Games will be the first to feature RFID technology in its tickets, and will do so on a massive scale, with over 16 million RFID-enabled tickets set to be issued. beijing-olympics-2008-rfid-tickets.jpgThe tickets, using RFID technology developed by Tsinghua University and Beijing Tsinghua Tongfang Microelectronics Company, will be used to reduce counterfeiting and simplify the ticket checking process. The embedded RFID chips will have sufficient memory to store information such as the ticket’s date and place of purchase, as well as the ticket holder’s seat location. The Games will also employ an RFID-based food safety tracking system for the first time, with athletes’ food closely monitored from production through to delivery

i interviewed 5 artists (Paula Roush, Doria Fan, Joshua Klein, David Kousemaker and Meghan Trainor) as well as our favourite expert from Tokyo (Konomi Shin'ishi) about their experience with RFID technology. What comes below doesn't reflect my presentation which was focusing on the ethical and cultural implications of the technology. I used these interviews as background research and thought they might be useful mainly for the workshop participants but also for some readers.

a system, made of both physical and virtual environments, that aims to promote creative and critical thinking skills for the 21st century. Celebrating the book, it presents opportunities for doing things together, sharing ideas and authoring in new ways. Focused on school-aged children in libraries, the project is part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Initiative.