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September 30, 2006
Dog starts car - the RFID way
This RFID story is almost too weird to be true. In fact, if it didn't come from the BBC, I probably wouldn't believe it .
Dog starts car after eating chipA breakdown patrol man who came to the rescue of a woman motorist has managed to get her car started using her dog.
Juliette Piesley, 39, had changed the battery in her electronic key fob but was then unable to start her car.
When AA patrolman Kevin Gorman arrived at the scene in Addlestone, Surrey, he found its immobiliser chip was missing.
Ms Piesley said her dog George had eaten something, and realising it was the chip, he put the dog in the front seat and started the car with the key.
Mr Gorman said: "I was glad to get the car started for the member.
"They will now have to take George [the dog] with them in the car until things take their natural course.
"It is the first time that I have had to get a dog to help me to start a car."
I can't help wondering what will happen once "things take their natural course." Of course, if the owner isn't comfortable digging through excrement to extract a slightly used RFID tag, she could just pop the poop into a baggie and use *that* to start her car. "Oh, that? It's not really a bag of dog poo, it's my car's RFID immibilizer chip. Can't you tell?"
It would be ironically appropriate, since security researchers at Johns Hopkins who hacked a car immobilizer chip have a hard time distinguishing RFID from a pile of poo themselves.
(Thanks to Synonym for the link.)
-Katherine Albrecht
Posted by Katherine Albrecht at September 30, 2006 12:42 AM
Comments
Although there are lingering concerns by privacy advocates over the use of RFID, there's no doubt that the use of RFID tags continues to increase. According to a new report from In-Stat, over 1 billion tags were produced last year, and by 2010, that total will rise to 33 billion. Wal-Mart's requiring of their suppliers to use RFID tags are certainly one reason for the projected growth, as well as potential applications in both the industrial and retail sectors, such as the tracking of inventory.
Posted by: rfid at November 24, 2006 1:29 AM