Japan to get RFID-equipped manhole covers
Three Japanese companies are teaming up in the first project we've ever heard of to equip manhole covers with RFID tags for monitoring critical underground infrastructure such as gas and sewage pipes. Although all the details are not immediately clear, it seems that wireless carrier KDDI along with Pasco and bitcom will be deploying the chips as part of a so-called "Intelligent Manhole System," wherein rescue workers with RFID readers could easily check on the status of critical subterranean components in the event of a disaster. Presumably this would allow them to reach any victims more safely and quickly, as well as helping to speed up the necessary repair projects. Even better, it could finally rid the sewers of adventurous kids seeking out the crime-fighting, pizza-scarfing lifestyle that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been irresponsibly glamorizing for over 20 years now.
