http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/21828/?nlid=1581&a=f
(((I like these nice, simple, grassrootsy RFID apps. This would be great
for people living in Airstream trailers.)))
(...) What makes Tool Link unique is the application and ThingMagic's focus on embedding RFID into the object. The antennas, for example, are manufactured to look like the rest of the truck bed so that they can blend in seamlessly. In the future, Maguire says, the truck bed itself might be the antenna.
The system includes a small computer built into the dashboard, where the user accesses the data that the reader collects. Tool Link can gather information about what's in the truck in the morning, and then compare that to what's in the truck in the evening, making sure that no tools that were brought to the job have been left behind. The user can also create lists of tools for specific jobs, detailing what needs to be put into the truck before heading to the job site. When the user turns on the truck, Tool Link reports which tools, if any, aren't in the truck bed.
Michael Liard, a research director at ABI Research, who focuses on RFID and contactless technologies, says that the technology is an innovative solution to a common problem. He says that he expects other industries to become interested in Tool Link.
(ThingMagic is already working on a similar system for emergency-response vehicles.) (...)
