While we've covered the tech of morbidity before, what we have in the U.S. is nothing compared with the Japanese. Since burials in Tokyo can be so expensive (topping out at more than $100,000), some people have invented a more conservative yet radical solution, according to the BBC: converting warehouses into high-tech graveyards.
Instead of one grave per a given area (like a house on a plot), the graves are stacked (like condos) several feet high. To give relatives access to the remains, a robotic arm retrieves the urn (most Japanese are cremated) and shuttles it to a "mourning room." Think of how a jukebox retrieves a record, only it's ashes.
It's a novel concept, but it's also uniquely Japanese, and we can't really see that catching on here. But it totally makes sense in hyper-dense Tokyo where land is scarce and getting out of the city really isn't an option for many people.
(Credit:
Fujitsu)
With radio frequency identification tags already showing up in school uniforms, it makes sense they'd make their way into other types of uniforms as well.
But what to do when said uniforms are worn in manufacturing plants where garments have to be sterilized with heat so microorganisms and other outside pollutants don't contaminate the goods? Wouldn't the RFID tags turn into goop?
Funny you should ask. Fujitsu has come up with a flexible, ultra high frequency (UHF)-band RFID tag that can withstand temperatures up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (much, much hotter than CNET's New York office, even on a really humid day) and high-pressure conditions of 2 atm.
Fujitsu's 1-gram tag is meant for use in uniforms worn by employees of plants that make products like medical supplies or semiconductors and have to sterilize with extra heat. While most microorganisms can be eliminated at 212 degrees F (the boiling point for water at standard pressure), some organisms have a greater resistance to heat and need to be zapped at higher temperatures.
Manufacturing plants already use flexible UHF-band RFID tags to manage uniform supplies, but Fujitsu says its flexible UHF-band RFID tags can take the heat in a way others can't. And that could translate to more operational efficiency. By utilizing the heat-resistant Fujitsu tags, companies will be able to simultaneously scan up to 100 uniforms after they're sterilized, taking a lot of the hassle out of tracking batches of uniforms by hand.
A new "smart" cane developed by students at Central Michigan University may be just the first step in helping blind people more easily get around by themselves.
The Smart Cane uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to detect obstacles and alert the user on where and how to navigate while walking, according to a news item published July 29 from Central Michigan University (CMU).
Equipped with an ultrasonic sensor, the cane works in tandem with a navigational system inside a bag worn by the user. Together, they detect RFID tags mounted on small flags that stick out of the ground.
A speaker on the bag's strap alerts the user when an obstacle is in the way and tells the person where to walk. For people who can't hear, a special glove vibrates different fingertips to provide direction on where to navigate.
"We are one of the first to research the use of RFID technology outdoors," said Kumar Yelamarthi, a CMU assistant professor of engineering and the project's leader. "This project started as a way for me to teach students to see and understand the ways that engineering can be used for the greater good. We wanted to do something that would help people and make our campus more accessible."
The students who designed the system set up a test with volunteers who used it to navigate around campus. CMU said the volunteers found the system to be effective, especially with navigation.
Since the cane requires RFID flags along the path to navigate, its use in the real world is limited for now. But the students see this as just the first step of a much larger project.
"The project has immense potential," said CMU senior Wil Martin, who worked on the student team. "This was a preliminary effort that I believe will pave the way for future projects and ultimately result in a device that will help the visually impaired move with the same ease and confidence as a sighted person. It can happen if the project continues. I am confident in this."
The haptic feedback patent, if approved, would bring the iPhone in line with rival handsets that provide localized tactile feedback.
(Credit: CNET )Three patent applications by Apple were published Thursday, and they cover technologies including haptics, fingerprint recognition, and RFID.
The haptic feedback patent, if approved, would bring the iPhone (and possibly other Apple devices) in line with rival handsets, which already provide localized tactile feedback in, for example, an onscreen soft keyboard.
Haptic technology gives people sensory feedback--in the form of a vibration or pressure--when they use a touch screen. Essentially, it makes touching a key on a touch screen more akin to pressing a real button.
The fingerprint recognition patent does not really have to do with authentication and security, but rather with identifying which fingers are in use, so as to associate different functions with different digits.
The RFID reader patent would see RFID-communicating circuitry integrated with the circuitry behind the touch screen itself.
All the above are just applications, though, so it could be a long while before we see any of this functionality built into iPhones or other Apple devices.
David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.
(Credit:
SureFlap)
I can't tell you how many times I've come home to find random cats that I don't know hanging around my house while my own cat is out doing whatever it is cats do. They waltz in through my pet door and make themselves at home, even helping themselves to my cat's Friskies.
That's why I'm considering the SureFlap, a secure pet door that only opens for the pet or pets that have approved RFID chips implanted under their furry skin. Any other animals, say the evil gang that likes to get its fur all over my couch, would be turned away.
This is a pretty high-tech solution for a low-tech problem, but if it's a situation you're in, then it's a perfect answer.
(Via Geek Alerts)
File this one under "driver tech" instead of "car tech." The State of New York has started offering driver's licenses embedded with RFID chips, or enhanced driver's licenses (EDLs). The news comes on the heels of New York becoming the second state to offer identification that can be shown at the border in lieu of a U.S. passport (which is also RFID-embedded).
(Credit:
New York DMV)
The radio frequency identification chip in the EDL will be able to be scanned by authorities to identify citizens entering the state from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Intercontinental travelers will still need to produce a passport to enter the country.
Authorities say no personal information will be stored or transmitted by the chip, only an identification number. Those who don't necessarily trust the powers that be can opt for a standard license, which doesn't work as a passport, or look into getting an RFID-blocking wallet and an aluminum foil hat.
The new EDLs will be available at a $30 premium over the standard $50 licensing fee. If you think $80 is a lot for a driver's license, consider that the cost of a standard New York license plus that of a United States passport is about $150.
(Credit:
Pirelli & C. S.p.A.)
The handling characteristics of the average car are primarily determined by the tires and the few square inches that are their contact patch. Up until now, tires have been decidedly low tech, at least to the untrained eye. Pirelli is aiming to change this, while giving us more information about what happens where the rubber meets the road, with its upcoming Cyber Tyre technology.
Essentially, the Cyber Tyre is an intelligent tire with an RFID microchip embedded that communicates with the car's electronic systems, such as ABS and traction control, relaying information about the state of the tire. This information includes operating temperature and pressure, road surface information, vertical load exerted on the tire, and dimensions of the footprint area. The chip is powered by the vibrations of the rotating tire and is molded into the tire's carcass.
By monitoring the state of the tire, many problems, such as blowouts or fuel economy loss due to underinflation can be eliminated preemptively. Pirelli hopes that by locating sensors in the tire itself, the vehicle will be able to react more quickly to issues with traction than systems with the sensors located further up the drivetrain. We think that when you're dealing with thousands of pounds of metal rounding a turn while perched on a few square inches of rubber, every nanosecond counts.
(Credit:
Beijing2008.cn)
Radio frequency identification technology will be facing one of its first major tests during the Beijing Olympics, taking care of ticketing for the estimated 3 million athletes, journalists, and spectators. Despite the Chinese government's current uptight security measures, the RFID chips embedded in Olympics tickets will be not carrying personal information. Instead, they'll be linked to a remote database, designed primarily to combat counterfeits, facilitate check-in, and so on.
Following the recent food scare originating from China, local authorities will also be using an RFID-based food management system to maintain close tabs on food production, processing, and deliveries. The arrangement may be a lot more significant than the one mentioned above, considering the well-being of close to 10,700 international athletes and the daunting logistics of pulling off events across 31 competition venues throughout the country.
(Via Crave Asia)
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RFID tags have a reputation for being a little creepy.
The idea of inserting radio frequency identification tags in national identification cards has raised the ire of American privacy advocates, for instance. But RFID has a plethora of helpful purposes: it can also aid in efficiency, and prevent theft, as in when RFID devices are fastened to clothing and accessories in stores.
A drawing of the RFID-enhanced handbag prototype.
(Credit: Project LadyBag)But some Canadian universities students have come up with a fun and even fashionable spin on RFID technology: a bag that tells you when all of your necessary accoutrements--keys, cell phone, wallet--are accounted for. It's part of their project called LadyBag.
The project has been underway for a couple years, but the wearable-electronics blog Talk2MyShirt unearthed it this morning. The project, run by six women, has several prototypes in progress. RFID tags can be placed in items that simply can't be left out of the bag (umbrella, keys, makeup bag, iPhone, or whatever). The LadyBag's RFID tracking system detects when something isn't in the bag that you've told it should be.
But the project isn't just an exercise in technology, it's also part art project. As a bonus, the bag uses a sensor system and 96 LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to display seven different emoticons when users interact with it. For example, hugging the bag results in a happy face lighting up on the outside of the bag.
There's no reason this technology has to be in a handbag. Put it in a backpack or a messenger bag...I know plenty of men who can never remember where they last put their wallet.
Robby is the happier one of the two.
(Credit: Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com)MORGAN HILL, Calif.--What do you do if your company has raised $291 million in venture funds and you're still waiting for your market to take off?
You buy replica robots that starred in movies from the 1950s.
At least that's what Alien Technology, based here, did. The company's previous CEO bought these two gems, which sit in the headquarters lobby. (The company is currently headed up by Fujitsu and Apple alum George Everhart.)
Ringo was underrated, says Gort.
(Credit: Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com)The roundish one, that looks like Bib the Michelin Man wearing a hat that pipes beer from two cans into your mouth, is Robby the Robot. He had a supporting role in Forbidden Planet, loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. Later, he became a cult figure, landed a few more acting gigs, and settled down into the autograph circuit before being replicated. You can turn him on and he goes through a light show of sorts.
The smooth one, meanwhile, is Gort. In The Day the Earth Stood Still, he came down to our planet to incinerate people because we couldn't live in peace. In the '70s, he appeared on an album cover with Ringo Starr. The 1970s-- it was a turbulent time in America.
