Originally used to track the items, such as cows,
railroad cars and airline luggage, that were shipped over long distances, the
RFID system might take over the bar-code system since it is finally become
cost-effective enough for application. Charlie Walton invented the first
version of the RFID in 1973 and received the patent for this in 1983.
So what can the RFID do? Well, imagine walking into
a supermarket, picking up the items you want and walking out. No no, don’t go
out and do it right now. See once RFIDs are fully implemented, when you pick up
an item and keep it in your shopping bag the RFID will read and understand
whichever products you’ve picked up and will follow a chain of commands till it
reaches your bank which will remove the respective amount from your account.
Right now, RFIDs are being used in tracking
vehicles, Alzheimer patients, and even pets. With the move to introduce the
RFID more extensively into people’s lives comes some criticisms. Some say that
there are privacy concerns as anyone else can read your RFID and steal data.
Most hilariously, there is also a section of people who believe that this is an
omen foretold by the Bible about the coming of a beast, i.e. the devil, since
we’ll be marked (RFID attached) by the devil. So the world is probably going to
end sometime soon. Again.
