RFID tinkering kit

Radio frequency identification tags are not the most secure things in the world. Indeed, they are probably the last thing you want in your credit card or passport. That being said, they do look as though they could have interesting tinkering applications. No doubt, people will dream up all sorts of cool applications for households and offices.

The Tikitag kit from Alcatel-Lucent should help with that, since it eliminates the need to actually configure hardware. Personally, I would use it to do something along these lines: Attach tags to three or four everyday objects in concealed locations. Hide readers in an equal number of places around my house. Then, when you put the candlestick on the right part of the bookshelf, the clock on the correct segment of the mantle, and the vase on the correct floor tile, a bookcase swings open revealing the entrance to one’s hidden lair…

For added security, one might put the last reader in the bookshelf itself, and the last tag in a radio-shielded pouch around one’s neck.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan