Siemens and Motorola are showing new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based tracking systems, to keep real-time tabs on both objects and people. Unlike the usually passive RFID tags, which need a scanner to activate them, this system uses powered tags which run software to triangulate their position in relation to WiFi base stations.
The companies are initially targeting the medical industry, where expensive equipment is always on the move around hospitals. But of course, it all comes down to surveilling people in the end.
"You can record movements over a period of time." said Markus Birkl of Siemens, "You can see if the security guard in the night makes the right rounds, for example"
Making a business opportunity from recent tragic events, the tech could be used to track students while on campus. Birkl calls for standards (read: rules) to be put in place to stop abuse of the system, but adds "there are clear benefits to keeping people safe."
What these benefits are he fails to say, but I doubt they are good for the people being tracked, other than the ubiquitous WiFi needed for the service to work.
Wi-fi and RFID used for tracking [BBC News]
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