Future looks rosier for RFID

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was invented more than 50 years ago but has so far failed to live up to its promise to connect everyday things through a wireless network and make it possible, in theory, to track every item ever produced.

Computer scientists dub RFID "The Internet of Things," in which anything from shampoo bottles to marathon runners can be tracked using radio tags. Criticism from some camps is that the technology can lead to an unacceptable invasion of privacy.

But the future looks rosier for RFID as costs to make the chips decline and governments take a keener interest.

"The time for action is now," said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media. She spoke at CeBIT, the world's biggest tech and telecoms fair.

Firms from around the world exhibiting at the fair in Hanover showed how they have been using RFID to make business more efficient.

Future looks rosier for RFID