By Jo Best, 4 August 2004 12:35
NEWS One German start-up has created an alternative to RFID that is likely to get under consumers' skin.
Ident Technologies has dreamt up Skinplex - which could be used in all the same ways as RFID and Bluetooth - but uses a different transmitter: human skin.
Like RFID, Skinplex works by reading a unique identifier remotely using an electromagnetic signal, normally between a microchip and a reader. Unlike RFID, however, Skinplex uses the skin to transmit the signal and an identifier carried on a person. The signal is transmitted when the carrier touches the receiver.
The Skinplex system can also be worked from a distance of 50cm, transmitting through the ether.
One possible use for the technology the company is touting is for unlocking car doors remotely. With the car owner carrying his own unique code, the idea is Skinplex becomes an anti-theft device, with only the car owner being able to get in the car without setting off an alarm.
With RFID set to become a billion-dollar market by 2010, the idea of keeping the costs down might tempt some the way of Skinplex.
Some hospitals are even talking about implanting staff and patients with RFID technology, potentially opening up a huge market for humans to carry RFID chips or Skinplex identifiers.
However, last month, Microsoft patented a way of turning your skin into a power conduit and data bus. IBM also jumped on the bandwagon some years ago - showing off a way of electronically sharing business cards when two people shake hands.
Comments
There are 21 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Big Brother...CHip everybody so nobody is safe from prying eyes.
Freedom is slowing being taken away and people will be horded like cattle with this technology.
Stick It were the sun don't shine
2. anonymous
Doesn't anyone see the danger of this type of tech? Who wants "big brother" able to check up on you at any time? Think about it!
3. anonymous
Let me think about this for a moment. . . uh, no thanks!
4. anonymous
This is a horrible use of technology. I can see the good in this but is anyone stopping to think about how this can be misused. How it WILL be misused.
Count me out on this tech wave. I want no part of it.
5. Anonymous
Have we truly lost our collective minds ???
God help us ...
6. anonymous
Yet another example of the attempt to enslave us all. Fight back with counter technology.
7. anonymous
Do Not Be Fooled. No Fear. No Human Implantation Laws. Do Not Accept.
8. anonymous
I thoroughly disagree with "chipping".The arguments for it will have valid points but WILL be abused and an excuse to catalogue and treat us like mere cattle to the slaughterhouse.I don't like Big Brother or any corporations spying on us the general public. What happened to The Land Of The Free?
9. Blake
This is not an attempt to enslave everyone. It could possibly be used to track people, but the amount of data that would create would make it impossible for "police" to keep track of the random person. It would not be useful in an investigation other than to put a person somewhere at a certain time and DNA can do that almost as well. Besides that, it would not be a mandatory thing and I'm sure that only a court order would be able to force someone. Then you would have all the legal battles, but its essentially no different than an ankle braclet then.
Yeah be wary of this, but don't freak out and discount the number of good things which this technology could present.
If you feel it would make you cattle, then I think you have deeper issues to resolve than whether or not this technology should be developed.
10. A.Isaac Victor Sukumar
Hey ,
Data Bus under skin ... handshake electronic exchange .. wow ...
It's sure the sign of the coming of Jesus ..... ... Come Lord Jesus Come! Maranatha .... Hallelujah! Amen
11. anonymous
YOU WON'T HAVE A SAY... Don't be fooled, you will not have a say whether you will or won't have this implented. But if you do, you cannot have it removed!
12. John
...and the number of the beast shall be IEEE 802.666 (b)
or something.
PS why is everbody posting as "anonymous" today? "They" already know where you live.
13. anonymous
All technology designed to help us always gets ABUSED. By using RFID, what's to stop the criminal element from stealing someone identity just as they now can steal someone mobile phone ident to make free calls, credit card identifcation to rack up a large credit card bill etc.? By storing a person identity on a chip that can be hacked (read), we now give the criminal element the chance to steal a complete users idenity.
THIS IS NOT GOOD, DON'T ACCEPT IT!
14. Grizzly Bear
How would you like to be the engineer who wakes up in fifty years and realizes his contribution to technology is the one that, essentially, erased individual civil liberties - particularly, the right to privacy?
No technology that has promised increased sercurity has been able to accomplish that without seriously reducing individual freedoms. We have come to accept the inevitability of cameras intruding in all aspects of our lives. Must we also accept electronic tagging? This must stop, here and now.
If you think this is a good idea, ask yourself - quis custodient ipsos custodes? [who watches the watchers?] Is there anyone you trust that much?
15. jojo
Taxpayers pay for the universities and colleges that educate these individuals and have no say in how these individuals "pay back" for the education that allows them to screw us the taxpayer.
I now understand, why the educated class have to leave some countries... they are just screwing everything, in order to crete jobs for themselves...
16. anonymous
I've heard about this for a long time and haven't liked it from the begining. People think I'm nuts because I don't want to buy The I-Pass in Illinois. BIG TROUBLE
17. Zom
We know whats next might as well my some stock in thie STOCK and well you kno
www.zombiewire.com
18. anonymous
we're all going to die...no way on this god forsaken earth will I get that chip implanted
19. anonymous
Anyone who thinks this is a bad idea must be a democrat!
20. Michael Welzel
You are not informed. Read the article about jamming protection on :
http://skinplex.net
It is just a new technology. If you talk about big brother, wy you use the internet ?
21. anonymous
I know this is an old article, but just stumbled upon the responses. I understand the concerns, but doesn't RFID have a maximum range of 50 cm? Unless "checkpoints" are created with the RFID chips, how would global tracking take place?