Five unpopular applications of RFID

As a small tentacle of the Internet of Things, RFID can always be perfectly integrated into various industries, such as retail, logistics, clothing, aviation, books, healthcare, industrial manufacturing, etc., and effectively improve the operational management efficiency of enterprises. So far, the application scenarios of RFID are still increasing.

However, in some unique scenarios that we are not familiar with, RFID is also quietly leveraging its advantages. Through these scenarios, perhaps we will have a deeper understanding of the potential applications of RFID.

Application 1: RFID intelligent aquaculture

The use of RFID on animals is no longer a novelty, including ear tags, poultry ankle rings, pet injection tags, and so on, all of which are only auxiliary in existing applications. However, many farmers have taken RFID to the next level and developed new business models.

RFID application in aquaculture

Recently, Anhui Province released the provincial-level local standard "Operating Procedures for Implanting Electronic Tags in Grass Carp Farming in Mountain Springs and Flowing Water", which will be implemented throughout the province from July 22.

After being implanted with RFID tags, the fish obtained an "ID card". With the help of electronic tags, real-time monitoring of the raw materials, semi-finished products, finished products, transportation, warehousing, distribution, shelving, final sales, and even return processing of grass carp in mountain streams can be achieved.

At the beginning of this year, due to the impact of the epidemic, the market was greatly affected, and some farmers in Shaanxi came up with a set of cloud farming services. Consumers can claim their favorite piglets online without worrying about losing their "pig son" with the help of RFID technology. Then, they can be raised by farmers to over 200 pounds, slaughtered and divided, and mailed to consumers.

At the end of April this year, even the well-known NetEase Black Pig joined the "Cloud Pig" team. And on the distant other side of the ocean, a company called The Yield is using IoT technology to raise oysters in Australia, and the reasoning behind it is naturally not wrong.

Application 2: Hackers Subcutaneous Implant RFID Chips

According to foreign media reports, a female hacker implanted an RFID chip into her body and was able to easily start the Tesla Model 3. She first extracted the RFID chip from Tesla's "keycard" using acetone solution, wrapped it in biopolymer, and then injected it into her left arm through a hollow needle.

Subcutaneous implantation of RFID chip

Amateur biohacker Amal Graafstra in Seattle implanted a wireless chip under his skin. With these chips, Amal Graafstra can enter rooms, log in to computers, and start motorcycles without any tools. It is reported that hundreds of people in Europe have voluntarily chosen to implant RFID chips into their bodies.

At present, the implantation of chips into the human body is a controversial topic, with potential risks to human health and privacy, as well as strong feelings of anxiety.

Application 3: RFID anti-theft smart backpack

At present, RFID anti-theft backpacks are available for sale on platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, and JD.com, mainly targeting travelers. Internally, a secure anti-theft warehouse has been set up, which can protect personal information and prevent bank cards, ID cards, and other information from being stolen through an RFID information anti-theft system.

In addition, some geeks have introduced RFID reading systems into backpacks. RFID tags need to be attached to the items to be packed in the backpack to prevent them from being missed or lost.

Application 4: RFID management of ancient trees

In order to solve the problem of outdated management of ancient and famous tree information, some cities in China have begun to introduce RFID technology, which requires the use of unique RFID nail tags in management. The age, subject, living conditions, and other information of the trees are encoded into the chip, which, when combined with the GPS positioning system, can provide more comprehensive protection for ancient trees.

RFID application in ancient tree management

Due to the characteristics of forest germplasm resource information, the workload is huge and complex, requiring a lot of manual labor for inventory. Moreover, manual operation is relatively inefficient and prone to errors. After the introduction of RFID technology, the problem of ancient tree management has been greatly alleviated.

Application 5: The "Safest" Smart Wallet in the World

In 2017, Volterman, an emerging enterprise headquartered in Armenia, released an incredibly secure smart wallet that includes an alarm system, a global positioning tracker, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, RFID radio frequency protection, and the ability to act as a Wi Fi hotspot. There is even a front facing camera that can take a photo of anyone opening the wallet and send the photo to the wallet owner.

Through these cases, it must be said that the world is vast and there is nothing extraordinary. Perhaps what truly limits us is our imagination.