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Scientists Print Cheap RFID Tags On Paper

judgecorp writes "French scientists have found a way to make RFID tags cheaper by printing them on paper. [Abstract] This could allow wider tagging, and combine with technologies such as printed memory." These printed RFID tags use aluminum, "a lot less expensive than copper or silver, which are used in some types of RFID tag. This is good news for inventory users operating millions of RFID tags in their systems."

10 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. Bad news for the Tin Foil Hat crowd by billrp · · Score: 2

    Or maybe it's good news?

  2. Re:The day is soon coming by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Informative

    why waste time sliding a card, already technology exists where you could just walk through

  3. Re:The day is soon coming by dumuzi · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why push a cart, the technology already exists for your fridge to order your groceries for you. In fact you could have an RFID scanner in your garbage so when you throw away packaging like a cereal box it will be added to your grocery list and delevered to your door next *day. That way we will all have more free time to spend imaging how great life will be when we finally get our flying cars.

  4. But but but! by CrackedButter · · Score: 5, Funny

    With this and the last story, how am I supposed to go paperless now!

  5. OT, but still important by superwiz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Slashdot should not be following the lead of the popular media. When you report on a "journalist getting arrested", you start out with his name. When you report on a scientist's discovery, you start out with his nationality. This is how media relegates science to the level of unimportant. If the article or headline starts out the description of the person (starting with their name), it immediately registers as a personal accomplishment and makes the person important. If it starts with their, field of specialty, their nationality or any other qualifiers of who they are and only mentions their name some time down the line, it makes their work sound utilitarian and irrelevant. Would you ever expect to see a head line in the news that "a Congressmen made a statement about such and such?" No, the headline would read "Mr. X, a Congressman from...." This ends up creating a de facto pecking order in which scientists and engineers are at the bottom.

    --
    Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
  6. Re:Dynamic RFID Ink? by fliptout · · Score: 2

    E-ink is not actually ink at all. It is a marketing term for bi-stable liquid crystal. So, no, you aren't going to magically print e-ink on anything and have a display.

    --
    A witty saying proves you are wittier than the next guy.
  7. Re:The day is soon coming by rubycodez · · Score: 2

    no one is picking out my produce for me

  8. Paging Cory Doctorow to find my remote by daboochmeister · · Score: 2

    In "Makers", Cory Doctorow has a segment on what would happen if RFID tags were easily printable this way - he depicted it as an opportunity to tag basically everything in your house, and then you'd never lose anything -- can't find the remote, just search it's current location.

    --
    "Ahh! I see you're in that indeterminate Schrodinger state where - oh, uh ... never mind." Dave Bucci
  9. Re:Dynamic RFID Ink? by Sarten-X · · Score: 2

    I do believe you missed the GP's point.

    Doc Ruby seems to be asking for an e-ink display tied to an RFID controller. The changing of the visible information would happen wirelessly, and using low amounts of power so as to remove the need for batteries. If such labels can be made cheaply enough. for instance, a box in a warehouse can be labeled with where it's supposed to be, as soon as it's assigned to go there. Place an order from NewEgg, Amazon, or any other technology-loving distributor, and your shipment could be addressed the moment you submit payment. All that remains is to gather boxes with addresses and load them in the truck.

    Given this story's promise of low-cost RFID hardware, I expect this is possible, though it will be quite some time before it's perfected.

    --
    You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
  10. Re:The day is soon coming by stephanruby · · Score: 2

    Your approach sounds like too much work.

    I'd suggest instead edible rfid tags with a scanner affixed to your toilet bowl.