What is RFID?

An RFID tag can be used as within a product or an animal or on a person for identification - which is done using radiowaves. It is possible to read these tags from varying distances, some a few meter and some beyond the sight of the reader.

An RFID tag is generally made up of two components. One is for storing and processing information and the other is for receiving and transmitting the signal. There is now such as thing as a chipless RFID. This makes it possible to identify a tag without it actually having to have a circuit and this is now available at a lower cost.

RFID tags are being used in a variety of different ways in the modern world. One of these is in passports and the Malaysian government was the first to implement the use of these tags in this way. As well as recording information from the visual date entry part of the passport the Malaysian 'e-passport' will also record the travel history (i.e. the times in and out of a country and when this occurred). In Hong Kong the use of RFID technology is deeply rooted in daily life in the form of an 'octopus card'. This is a card that can be loaded with money at various points and in shops and then can be used for many purposes such as paying for transport, in vending machines or in fast-food stores.

In Turkey RFID technology is used on the roads and bridges to pay toll charges. In London the 'oyster' card uses this technology to offer a 'pay as you go' approach to travel that works on the underground and on buses in the city.

A high frequency RFID tag is often used in library books, bookstores, pallet tracking and identification badges within businesses.

The use is widespread and they have been used within hospital and educational establishments, however, there use is still somewhat controversial.