July 19, 2006
RFID Alternatives - Hewlett-Packard's Memory Spot
With all the technical problems RFID technology appears to be currently suffering from, it's not surprising that there are yet more alternatives to RFID tags being tested. We've seen VLID (Visible Light IDentification) and RuBee, which works on a long-wavelength and has peer-to-peer capabilities. There are at least four other alternatives to RFID, one of which is Hewlett-Packard's Memory Spot.
Memory Spot is more like a miniature computer than the equivalent of an RFID tag. It has radio capabilities like an RFID tag, and has video and audio storage. Not only is a Memory Spot tag smaller (about the size of a shirt button), but the entire circuitry is completely integrated and thus cheaper to produce. Tag data interception worries are also less of a problem, given that a reader has to be virtually touching to work.
Widescale production of the Memory Spot isn't expected for a couple of years, and Hewlett-Packard has not yet decided whether they'll license the technology or try to directly convince other manufacturers to use it.
Sources: [ZD Net]
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