IMMATERIALS DESIGN - THE GHOST IN THE FIELD

This is a re-post taken from original Blog posting:

http://berglondon.com/blog/2009/10/12/the-ghost-in-the-field/

Very interesting research and visual representation of energy fields around Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) devices, that are very common and found in a range of devices that interact with "tags" ie other devices that confirm an "identity" and then interact with the RFID, to exchange data to effect a change.

The example used is the Oyster card used on public transport systems in the UK ie swipe/touch the Oyster card on a bus or underground station which acts as a prepaid electronic ticket.

To Quote:

"There are 4 billion RFID tags in the world. They may soon outnumber the people. Readers and tags are increasingly embedded in the things and environments in which we live."

The challenge is for designers who needed to incorporate RFID devices into the products and technologies they create to understand how the energy and radio waves behave. In particular the "volume" of the range of the radio waves so optimal design can be achieved, for most efficient/effective interaction/communication between the RFID and the "tag".

The video below outlines how one particular study was undertaken to measure this "volume" of a RFID's radio waves.

Immaterials: the ghost in the field from timo on Vimeo.