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WeSC Karmatech concept makes your shoes more social with RFID
We've been seeing more and more shoes infused with different sorts of technology in recent years, but none quite like this WeSC Karmatech concept developed by some students at Sweden's Hyper Island "digital school." Described as a "social take on Nike+," the shoes apparently wouldn't have an accelerometer but they do pack an RFID chip that allows the wearer to interact with their surroundings -- automatically check in at a location and share it on Facebook or Twitter, for instance, or get access to exclusive deals or special events. Of course, it is just a concept, but the students note that it would be relatively cheap to implement (at least on the shoe end of the equation), as the RFID tags themselves only cost a few cents. Kinda gives a new meaning to "sneakernet," doesn't it? Head on past the break for the video.
Apple job posts point to built-in NFC capabilities for iPad / iPhone
Ladies and gentlemen of the, ahem, jury, we intend to show -- through rumors and circumstantial evidence -- that Apple might very well be building Nexus S-like NFC capabilities into next-generation iPhones and iPads. We present for your consideration exhibits A, B, and C: three Apple job posts, seeking two managers of global payment platforms and one test engineer for iPhone hardware. According to the original post, the right engineer possesses a background in both ICT (information and communication technology) and RFID (radio frequency identification), which forms the basis for NFC. Suspiciously, Apple removed the "ID" in "RFID" sometime in the past 24 hours. Still not convinced of Apple's NFC involvement? Consider this: Apple's manager of global payment platforms is tasked with contributing "to the analysis and development of new payment types and processes." Okay, so there's not a smoking gun in sight, but a little innocent conjecture never hurt anybody.
RelayRides P2P car sharing service now available in the Bay Area
Got a car sittin' 'round, clutterin' up your driveway? Love the idea of handing over the keys to strangers? RelayRides, a recent beneficiary of some Google Ventures cash, has just brought its peer-to-peer car-sharing service to the San Francisco Bay Area. Already available in Boston, the service is sort of a "social bikes-meets-Zip Car." The idea is to let customers rent privately owned (and in some cases, leased) vehicles by the hour: owners receive sixty-five percent of the rental fee, and they're protected by a million dollar insurance policy (drivers have to pay a $500 deductible, which should be large enough to keep people on good behavior). RelayRides is unclear on the exact nature of the keyless entry system (which gets installed gratis when your whip enters the program), but we're guessing it's either RFID or NFC. It also contains a GPS, which is used to track the car's movements and mileage. Interested? Hit the source link to get started.
IDEO constructs RFID turntable, hearkens back to mixtapes of yore (video)
Once upon a time, you could touch your music -- or at least caress a 7- or 12-inch vinyl disc -- but these days the cool kids stream MP3s (and OGGs, and APEs) off the internet. However, design studio IDEO recently decided to see if they could get back in touch with their audio roots, and -- taking a page right out of the industrial design treatise I Miss My Pencil -- they built the above machine. To put it simply, what you're looking at is a box filled with specially-angled Arduino Pro Mini boards constantly searching for RFID tags on top, and a set of cards each with two RFID tags, with each tag representing one song. When you drop one on the turntable, it begins playing within a second, thanks to the clever array of Arduinos underneath, and you and your High Fidelity soulmate can leave multiple cards on the table to create an impromptu mixtape, or, presumably, flip one of the "cassettes" to play Side B. It's a good thing IDEO isn't selling the device and packs of cards, because we're afraid we'd be compelled to collect them all, and our poor wallet doesn't need any more heartbreak. Don't miss the video below!
Samsung cooks up its own NFC module, destined for the Nexus S?
Curious timing, no? Just last month, Google's own Eric Schmidt revealed that the Nexus S (manufactured by none other than Samsung) would have "NFC features," and he even went on to proclaim that this kind of technology would eventually supplant the tried-and-true credit card. Today, Sammy itself has revealed a new near field communications (NFC) chip with embedded flash memory, and we're told that this guy remains active for mobile payment even without battery power. Of course, we're still waiting for a confirmed price and release date for the aforesaid smartphone, but could Samsung's NFC mass production date of Q1 2011 be the clue we've been yearning for? Fingers and toes crossed, okay everyone?
Ford adds race-ready TracKey to Mustang Boss 302, leaves no doubt about who's in charge
The use of a second key to unlock extra potential in a vehicle isn't exactly new: Bugatti's mind-blowing Veyron has a special tumbler-tickler that will let it hit 253mph; the Segway PT offers different fobs for different speeds. But such high-tech foppery on a Mustang? Yes, Ford continues to impress as the domestic marque with the techiest toys, announcing that buyers of next year's Boss 302 can purchase an optional TracKey package, shown after the break. Take the standard black key and you'll have a rip-roaring, 444hp monster. Take the red key, though, and you'll see how fast that pony can run down the rabbit hole. The car detects a different RFID chip in the fob and loads a secondary, track-specific engine tune, tweaking 200 ECM parameters to boost everything from throttle response to engine braking. It'll turn a semi-civilized muscle car into a completely track-ready beast, including launch control. When it's time for a more leisurely cruise users can just switch back to the black key, return to daily driver status, and leave Wonderland -- for a little while, at least.
MindScape's Karotz continues the proud Nabaztag lineage
It's been a while since we've heard anything on the Nabaztag front. Violet, the company that built the original "ambient" bunnies, went bankrupt but was snapped up by MindScape a year ago. Now MindScape is ready to show off the latest addition to the Nabaztag family, dubbed "Karotz." The WiFi rabbit runs on Linux, with a 400MHz ARM CPU, 64MB of RAM and 256MB of storage, so it should have plenty of headroom for that vibrant hacker community that sprung up around the first two Nabaztags. Karotz can also run off batteries or be plugged in via USB, and has the same RFID reader functionality of the Nabaztag/tag. The biggest new feature is a webcam, which will purportedly have face recognition (to be paired with Nabaztag's existing voice recognition), along with allowing you to check up on your home from a smartphone app. Karotz will retail in France starting in November for €150 (about $210 US), followed by the UK in December and February in the US. Hopefully Karotz can find a bit more market success than its ill-fated predecessors. %Gallery-105157%
Germany slapping RFID tags on its populace for the sake of brisker bureaucracy
ID cards and RFID tags are similar in one key respect: they get a lot of bad press -- one for constricting civil liberties, the other for being a lousy security risk -- and yet are widely used around the world. It's fitting, therefore, that Germany has decided to marry the two for the latest version of its own personalausweis. Dutch company NXP has begun production of the requisite RFID chips for these new slices of plastic, which will roll out from the beginning of November this year. The Deutsch state sees a vastly expanded role for the modernized cards, including validating your identity for online shopping and communicating with your local authority (e-government, they call it). And, of course, your biometric data is loaded onto the chip as well, just to make things nice and neat. You know, we remember the good old days when identity theft used to be hard.
Send Google Earth for a spin with this RFID Steampunk globe (video)
Some day in the not-too-distant alternate future, when we float through the air on water pressure rather than burning jet fuel, we'll need a reliable way to circumnavigate the world -- and the descendants of John Knight will step forward with this brilliant bronzed globe. The "Electromagnetic Geospacial Globe and Remote View with Obligatory Goggles" uses Touchatag's RFID system to direct your flying boat -- just plot a course by adjusting the brass arms, uncover your digital logbook, and Google Earth will give you a more slightly more accurate look at where you next adventure lies. See it in action after the break.
Walmart to add RFID tags to individual items, freak out privacy advocates
Walmart's been pushing RFID for years now, using it to better manage the company's vast inventories and understand where products are and how fast they're approaching. Now, the mega-retailer is about to take things to another level, and it just might push competitors into getting with the program. As of now, there's limited consumer-facing benefit to tracking pallets in transit, but a Wall Street Journal report suggests that Wally World will be placing radio-frequency ID tags on individual clothes. The initiative is slated to kick off next month, and it's expected to help apparel managers know when certain sizes and colors are depleted and need to be restocked. In theory, having this ability will ensure that consumers never see their desired size or hue as sold out, and if the clothing trial is successful, the tags could be rolled out to a near-infinite amount of kit. Of course, privacy advocates are all wound up about the idea, though it seems as if most sniffing concerns could be dealt with if the tags were removed as customers departed the store. Unless you're leaving in a hurry, that is...
VNS implant might fix the ringing in your ears
Earlier this decade, doctors discovered that by shocking the vagus nerve -- one of twelve nerves connected directly to the brain -- they could attempt to treat chronic hiccups, epilepsy and severe depression. Now, a startup called Microtransponder believes such a device can help reduce tinnitus, too. Technology Review now reports the company's RFID-like, externally-powered implant could stimulate the vagus nerve while doctors play particular tones for those suffering ringing ears, slowly attuning the patients to frequencies other than the one that ails them. As with all new medical procedures, we don't expect to see this one on the market anytime soon, but the firm does claim it's just raised $10 million in funding and will pursue FDA clearance accordingly. Until then, you'll just have to try less invasive procedures, or simply restrain yourself from turning that volume dial to 11. Ch'yeah right!
AILA bot can recognize objects' weight and fragility, render shelf stackers obsolete (video)
Now, this isn't quite the height of innovation, but it's a pretty cool compilation of existing technologies nonetheless. The femme-themed AILA robot has an RFID reader in its left palm, which allows it to obtain non-visual information about the objects put in front of it. Based on that input, as well as data collected from its 3D camera and two laser scanners, AILA can intelligently deal with and transport all sorts of items, without the pesky need for a fleshy human to come along and give it further instructions. The good news is that it's a really slow mover for now, so if you do your cardio you should be able to run away from one in case of any instruction set malfunctions. See it on video after the break.
Chad Barraford's JARVIS life assistant is the envy of Pepper Potts (video)
Chad Barraford is living the dream. Inspired by Edwin Jarvis, the superhero's man-servant turned computer in the film adaptation of Iron Man, the 27 year old Barraford pieced together a digital life assistant, dubbed JARVIS, to keep his household (and life) in order. JARVIS is built on a 4-year-old Mac mini linked to everything from his home lighting/security and RFID entry system (self-built on Arduino) to his George Foreman grill plugged into his X10 home automation network. JARVIS is always aware of Chad's location (thanks to Google Latitude) and can be controlled in the house via remote control or a wireless mic and the Mac's built-in speech recognition software; or via Twitter and text messages when away. Chad's friends each have their own keychain RFID tags. So does his dog. When his friends are in the house, JARVIS becomes less chatty and doesn't speak any personal information related to his finances or Facebook updates, for example. When the dog comes home JARVIS turns on the lights in the mutt's room. The Chad started the project less than a year ago and cost the man less than $700 in gear. Yes, he hopes to commercialize it. Until then we've got a few choice video selections after the break.
Former Apple Store employee creates Iron Man's J.A.R.V.I.S. using a Mac mini
Okay, there's no HUD display like Tony Stark had and it isn't voiced by Paul Bettany, but former Apple Store employee Chad Barraford has created Project Jarvis, a digital assistant that greets him, Tweets for him, and can even tell his family when he has a headache and dim the lights of his apartment before he reaches home. Project Jarvis is based on the comic book character Edwin Jarvis, Tony Stark's human butler who became an AI construct after he was reinvisioned for a twenty-first century audience in the first Iron Man film. Chad's real life Jarvis may not help him fly an invisible suit of armor, but via RFID tags, webcams, and microphones, Barraford can communicate with Jarvis in a number of ways including tweeting, instant messaging, and speech recognition which allows him to control lights and appliances, notify him of breaking news, Facebook updates, Netflix queues, check stock quotes and weather, and even help assist him with cooking. Barraford calls Jarvis a digital life assistant (DLA) and runs it entirely from a four year-old Mac mini running custom AppleScript, he told us. Right now he has no plans to sell the AppleScript code, but is always happy to share ideas with other developers of DLAs. Click on over to The Boston Globe to see video of Jarvis in action.
Conceptual 'CTRUS' football gets loaded with sensors, don't need no pump
We've heard of soccer balls that play a tune when kicked, sure, and we're pumped to see the World Cup in 3D, but it's not often that someone comes up with a serious technological makeover for the sport that's nearly as old as life itself. CTRUS, however, is just that -- a theoretical revolution in soccer that begins with the all-important ball. To start with, a reinforced elastic structure means that CTRUS doesn't require any air. (So long, pump.) Next, GPS and RFID chips keep track of the ball's position at all times, and tell it to light up in different colors when it scores a goal or is accomplice to a nefarious violation. (Farewell, referee.) Last but not least, the sphere itself will report back with accelerometers that measure the ball's kick force and travel speed, and a camera that could (with magical software stabilization, of course) actually film action from the ball's own POV. Sadly, the ball is just a concept from an undercover marketing agency, but since we're dreaming, we urge its creators to add a second camera. Just imagine just how immersive it would be to have your face booted in at 130km/h in glorious 3D. Or, just peek the concept videos after the break.
Verayo launches next-generation of 'unclonable' RFID chips, hackers get wide-eyed
If there's one thing a security company should avoid, it's tempting the hackers to unravel their promises. As we've seen time and time again, there are few (if any) completely uncrackable technologies, but Verayo sure seems confident about its next-generation RFID chips. Dubbed "unclonable," this new product family -- which is led by the Vera M4H -- promises to make mass transit tickets, secure IDs and access cards more secure, and unlike the original, this one touts a "non-networked, unlimited authentication" feature. We also get the impression that the company has worked to drive costs down with this newfangled line, but we're still not sure we'd trust our lives to this thing. Anyone down to really put these claims to the test?
Linksys router turned into smartphone-controlled doorman (video)
Working for a large company comes with a lot of baggage, the least of which is an RFID security badge. For those small companies who can't afford such extravagantly wireless door key solutions there's another option: this DIY project completed by a team of developers at Sunlight Labs. It all centers around a Linksys WRT54GL, a Linux-based wireless router that, with a little firmware hackery and a bit of wiring, was tethered into the office's door release buzzer. The team then went about allowing SSH access to the router and created Android and iPhone apps that instantly connect to the device and open the door, authenticated by a PIN and a unique ID assigned to each device. Users can also deliver their PIN via SMS or a simple phone call to open the door. Elegant, impressive, open source, and one less thing to forget on a Monday morning when groggily heading to the office.
Dell 'Lafite' enters the FCC, emerges as the Latitude E4310
Good old Dell and its FCC submissions. After the E6410 and E6510 were revealed at the start of this month, the Round Rock vendor is back with the flamboyantly named Lafite laptop, which will make its retail presence known under the more familiar moniker of Latitude E4310. Once again, we're talking about computers firmly focused on business use, as evidenced by the integrated RFID chip. The Commission disclosure also informs us of UWB, WLAN and WWAN connectivity options, though it leaves us to guess at the rest of the specs. Space for Intel (Arrandale chips, most likely) and Microsoft labels is par for the course, and we were impressed by the thin chassis profile, schematics of which you can see after the break. Can't be long to go now before we see this 13-inch ultraportable make its debut, presumably alongside a similarly upgraded E4210.
Panasonic's Toughbook H1 Field makes pansies of those other tablets
Yeah, 2010 may be the (second) year of the tablet, but we're guessing that Sir Destiny didn't exactly see this coming down the pike. Panasonic just introduced its newest Toughbook in the H1 Field, and we're in no position to argue the "world's most rugged handheld tablet computer" claim. Classified as an "ultramobile rugged" device, this one's designed with outdoor use in mind, weighing just 3.4 pounds but able to meet IP65 and MIL-STD-810 standards. In layman's terms, it can shrug off a six foot drop, and the twin hot-swappable batteries ensure that it'll keep going and going (and going). Internally, you're looking at a 1.86GHz Atom Z540 CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 64GB reinforced SSD, 10.4-inch sunlight-viewable XGA touch panel, an optional Gobi 2000 (EV-DO / HSPA) WWAN module, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, GPS, a 2 megapixel camera and an RFID reader. Head on past the break for the full release, but don't get too excited just yet -- it'll set you back at least $3,379 when it crashes down (and survives) next month. %Gallery-85105%
Samsung OLED identity card animates your creepy, disembodied head (video)
For better or worse, it looks like RFID-ified identification is here to stay. Just about the coolest threat to our civil liberties we've seen this week, Samsung Mobile Display's Specimen Display Card Prototype is a pretty bog-standard ID -- until you bring it within range of an ISO 14443 RFID card reader, at which point the OLED display springs to life, summoning a 360 degree closeup of the card holder's head.Looks like it just got a little harder to change your identity, no? Peep the video for yourself after the break.
