HP's Memory Spot Chip 87
Iddo Genuth writes, "HP Labs recently revealed a prototype of the Memory Spot Chip, a tiny wireless chip capable of storing and transmitting data. When it hits the market in about 2-3 years, the new chip will enable a variety of applications ranging from digital wristbands that store patient medical information to sound bytes on paper or printed pictures that can be accessed using a reader-equipped device. The article has an interview with Howard Taub of HP Labs and some photos of the prototype chip." The chip can only be read at a distance of 1 mm, so it avoids many of the privacy concerns of RFID. It has about 1000 times the storage capacity and 100-1000 times the data transfer rate of RFID.
Re: (Score:1)
Hmmm, nothing to add here.
Re: (Score:1)
all in the name (Score:4, Funny)
Well then, they need to call it something catchy, like "RFID Extreme". I'll buy one to go with my Airport Extreme bas station, and my Extreme Doritos.
follow USB's lead (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
No thanks (Score:5, Interesting)
But shockingly if I get a device to FOCUS the light I can see much further.
Do they make tiny pringles cans?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
You can't see something when light is void.
You can't get information out of a chip when power is void.
Your sceam can't be heard when the medium is void.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Presumably the HP chip's power source is RF transmission, right? So why couldn't you convert your pringles-can receiver into a transceiver? I recall there is a physi
Paperless Office! (Score:1)
Actually not having to use a card reader at the store, simply pick up what you want and leave!
I'll take 2.
Good news for shoplifters.. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
CC.
If so close, then why even wireless? (Score:5, Insightful)
If they are going to make it so that you have to be 1mm away to read the signal, then why not just make a contact point and do away with the wireless function all together. This would truly avoid the privacy concerns and would function just the same. What's 1 more milimeter of distance anyway?
It seems everything these days needs to be wireless in order to be considered a hot new item. This is like making a "contactless pen." Instead of having to press the pen against the paper to write, you can hover the pen less than 1mm away from the paper.
Re:If so close, then why even wireless? (Score:5, Funny)
Kindly stop hoarding this technology to yourself, and let me know where I can purchase this device.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Kindly stop hoarding this technology to yourself, and let me know where I can purchase this device.
Seeing as how this is Slashdot, I'm pretty sure you could call your gigglestick a contactless pen.
Re:If so close, then why even wireless? (Score:5, Informative)
How about deterministic distance? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's my opinion they should build in security features to prevent this, rather than claiming 1 mm is the max distance the thing can be read from.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Correct. And today someone is saying the max distance is 1 mm. No once can predict what discrimination techniques will be invented tomorrow. RFID and Bluetooth were both touted and very short-range technologies - until enterprising minds figured out how to get Bluetooth over a mile an RFID to meters.
UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) is a very low power technology (comparativel
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not saying that the limit can't be broken, by 10, maybe even 100 times the distance... but nothing to be worried about. Sure technologies like bluetooth and wifi can stretch over their spec'ed distance, this can be achieved with various methods such as increasing the power to the antenna and/or using directional antennas. But if you're not going to notice somebody attaching a
Re: (Score:2)
Fine. I'll do the worrying for both of us
Re: (Score:2)
it doesn't matter if you hijack a radio tower, you're only gonna get so much range out of the thing before power disapation (or lack therof) causes the little chip to fry.
Re: (Score:2)
The original parent is right. Even a distance of 1cm would be okay (if a bit weird), but 1mm is just pointless *And* being wireless, less secure.
Re: (Score:2)
Because contacts wear (Score:2, Insightful)
A wireless device like this can provide a more reliable mechanism than something with a contact. Contacts wear out over time, and even if the time period is short enough to make wear irrelevant, static buildup or incorrect voltages on the reader device could blow the device when you make contact with it.
And finally, unless you're extending an antenna via the contact, you will need more than one contact to make a usable circuit with the reader. On something as small as a Memory Dot, that could be nigh on im
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
1. Require the reader to be properly oriented, not merely within range, so that the 2+ contacts required are aligned
2. Render the chip unreadable when it's dirty
3. Render the chip unreadable when it's wet
4. Prevent the chip from be layered inside paper/plastic/fabric -- it would have to be exposed, which complicates manufacturing
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Anywho, there was another article about this thing a couple of months ago. I'd look it up, but I've got a bunch of other stuff to do and for some stupid reason my modem (yes,
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
RFID-style cards are in wide use in London [tfl.gov.uk] and while the idea that they can be read from several meters away with the right reader is disturbing; it is good that they still work when they're still in your wallet, a distance of a bit more than 1mm.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Animals (Score:2, Interesting)
Inside people, temporary chips could be used to
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
iButton [wikipedia.org] is a simple, rugged contact-based solution, but it's far from being cheap/small enough to put on every spare widget you sell.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
http://www.hackaday.com/2005/02/19/sniffing-and-cr acking-rfid-crypto/ [hackaday.com]
This web site has been out for some time so it appears that if you have a contact-less method of reading something then it's eventually going to be cracked. It is very easy to get close such as sitting next to or just brushing past a the potential victim without them being aware of any evil intent and 1m is a huge distance to play aroun
Re: (Score:2)
The 1mm read distance would certainly stop the casual pass in the case of an rfid chip reader but it would be interesting in knowing how they determined a 1mm transmitting range since any wireless transmitting device has the potential for unlimited range. Granted that you need a much more sensitive receiver to receive the weaker signal but it could be done and that is all a cracker needs.
Re: (Score:1)
Of course! (Score:5, Funny)
Another problem (apart from wireless for the sake) (Score:1)
Could I be malicious and sprinkle hundreds of them on expensive items and the the clerk play pin the scanner on the donkey?
How's this really better? (Score:5, Interesting)
The security concern with RFID is that it could be read from a distance... so a marketing company could scan a cart full of items and not need to scan each one individually. this removes this ability.
OK so now it doesn't benifit you or the store at all... but it protects your security better! But the way I see it is it's no better than the current, cheap alternative of barcodes.
I think where TFA is off is in it's comparing this technology and it's applications to RFID. These technologies are certainly not targetting the same markets or applications. I wouldn't mind the new chip in my credit card (unlike RFID), but don't raise the price of my canned fruit by embedding one in the label.
This new technology is best suited in situations where large volumes of data need to be attached to an object and securely (relative, physical only) read very quickly and with minimal effort. Medical applications come to mind as well as banking, credit card processing, and identification (DL, VISA, Passport).
It's not better or worse, it is different (Score:2)
Unfortunately people, and in this case TFA, often compare technologies that have different intended uses (eg. Bluetooth vs Wifi). Sure they have some overlap, but they differ in many ways too.
Re: (Score:2)
if you fail, just try again (Score:2)
This coming hot off the heels of the Mystery Spot Chip [wikipedia.org], which didn't really work, as any photos read off the device didn't appear to obey the observable laws of physics.
image (Score:1)
Needs more range to be practical. (Score:4, Funny)
(note to moderators: I forgot to include sarcasm tags in my post above. Sorry. Really.)
1mm for Now.... (Score:2)
RFID has been able to be read FAR from it's original spec'd distance...so have bluetooth devices. How long will this 1 mm last? What if this 1 mm becomes 1,000 mm?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work heck I would be surprised if it did. Even if you can manage to induce enough current without frying (or tripping internal protection) the thing to have the unit send a signal the output would be so small (we are probably talking 4-5mW) it would fall to the same level or lower then background noise very very fast
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
All you have to do is figure out how to focus Arecibo on it.
Now just stand still while we suspend you a couple miles above Puerto Rico.
KFG
Re: (Score:1)
----
I'll change
Cashless society on it's way... (Score:1)
Then you just swipe your hand over a reader to buy things.
Since it has lots of memory, you could put all medical data and other "official" information on it to be at the ready.
You could even use it at your employment establishment to get paid.
I'd think that the government would want such a society of highly tracked and managed citizens. It would make it hard to buy drugs or support other terrorist activites
Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)
Anything that makes the fundies crap themselves is OK by me!
Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re: (Score:1)
and that's about the point where shaking somebody's hand will begin to frighten people. the end of social graces? that type of tech might result in us avoiding physical contact with other people at all cost.
that kind of thing might not bother most readers of slashdot, but for the average joe (erm, the one with basic social skills) it might pose a problem.
The summary is crap (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I've been looking for something like that for a while now, and apparently my Google skills suck, cause I can't find anything like what you mention that I can lay hands on.
Regards,
Ross
Re: (Score:2)
You can also google on "Mifare" for cheap contactless memory cards from Philips. They aren't as programable but for many applications you don't need programability.
Re: (Score:2)
This is what I'm currently developing against. I'm finding that I'd like to store more on the card than the Mifare DESFire cards currently allow (partitioned 4k, when I'd like to store about 100-300kB), so your mention of contactless smart cards with encryption protected 2MB on board sounded really good.
The JCOP cards are different from the Mifare in that all of them have contact pins (l
Re: (Score:2)
Summary: No news here, move along please (Score:1)
Unless technology suddenly stops advancing I'm sure every other RFID tag launched in a few years time will also have those sort of specs.
Umm not quite so private (Score:2)
And baby monitors only have a range of a hundred feet
dupe x2 (Score:1)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07
Re: (Score:2)
Localizers huh? (Score:1)
Too bad that.... (Score:2)
Sure sounds like a lot (Score:2)
Wow, so it can store, like, 100k!
(yeah, i know that a lot of storage isn't usually needed in RFID applications and the such, but still...)
Designed secure for a certain value of "designed". (Score:2)
Unless they have discovered some new fundamental property of electromagetism, what this has to be read as is this: The system was designed so that the specific reader they have in mind is not capable of reading at greater than 1mm. This says nothing about security because it does not preclude a reader of a different design from reading the devices at a greater distance.
There is no doubt that this technology i
the HP spot.. .memory that calls home! (Score:2)
HP will never get out from underneath these kind of jokes until all the spies and liars are thrown out and they lead the world in absolutely banning Nixonian tactics.