RFID

A new radio technology dubbed "Braidio" has the potential to dramatically extend the battery life of mobile devices by many hundreds of times by allowing them to automatically share battery power loads with other devices when wirelessly communicating.

By combining technologies that already exist in one form or another into one backpack, the Klifit – now raising funds on Kickstarter – aims to keep you organized, charged and secure.​​

If some reckless reader has put a book back in the wrong spot, it's a daunting task for librarians to search the entire building for it. Researchers are now designing robots that can navigate through libraries at night, scanning spines and shelves to report back on missing or out-of-place books.​​

In the past we’ve seen paper - one of the most ubiquitous materials around - used to create origami batteries and even diagnostic tools. Now, researchers have used it as the basis of what they call PaperID, a project that uses simple RFID tags to add smart functionality.

To make radio frequency identification (RFID) chips a bit more secure, MIT and Texas Instruments are developing an "unhackable" RFID chip that's designed to fend off information-stealing attacks.​

With more goods passing through the world's shipping terminals and airports than ever before, hunting explosives is a bottleneck. To help US counterterrorism efforts, GE has developed RFID stickers that act as wireless, battery-free explosives detectors that can be placed almost anywhere.

The Fraunhofer Institute's InventAIRy Project is developing a new flying robotic drone that not only takes over the drudgery of stock taking, but also acts as a new tool for record keeping and streamlining warehouse operations.

A London-based label has created a line of clothing inspired by George Orwell's 1984 featuring pockets which can block all wireless transmissions, meaning your phone cannot be hacked or credit card details stolen.

In order for household robots to be truly useful, it would be great if they could go and find items for you. Thanks to research being carried out at Georgia Tech, that may someday be the case. A robot there is now able to search out hidden objects – as long as they've been labelled first.

The 2014 NFL season will see RFID tags placed inside player shoulder pads, allowing real-time tracking of such things as current location, acceleration, total distance run and even orientation, with an accuracy of down to 6 inches (15 cm).

Intel has announced the winner in the second round of the of its Make It Wearable contest, Visionary Track. Student, maker and DIY enthusiast Mael Flament proposed an invisible tattoo that contains our health information. Med. History 2.0 would be easily scanned and updated regularly.

Bees are integral to the pollination of major crops around the world, so the more that we understand how they go about their business, the better we can facilitate the process. With this in mind, scientists are taking the unprecedented step of equipping up to 5,000 honeybees with RFID tags.