It's year 2000, and folks cannot get out of their public libraries if they haven't checked a book or video out through proper procedures. Getting out the front door of the Gap, Inc. with an
unpaid for pair of khakis sets off alarms. We can track dolphin migration patterns with under-water electronic surveillance devices.
At the MSPCA Animal Shelter in Methuen, Massachusetts, the first thing they do when a new dog is brought in is scan it for a microchip in its neck - the idea is that anyone who microchips their pet probably wants it back (in the event
that it is lost and then found). The Methuen shelter has been scanning dogs for microchips for a couple years now. As of June 19th, over 30,000 pets have been reunited with their owners through microchipping.
So what about those hard drives at Los Alamos?
Is it possible that we are taking better care of our pets, khakis, wildlife, and Harry Potter books than we are of our nuclear secrets and hard drives? In preparation for our next "Oops, we lost some hard drives," attaching smart label
s to our critical assets just might be a good thing to do.
Smart labels contain an integrated circuit (IC) that can be programmed with detailed information, such as origin, location, owner and other information. Since smart labels use radio frequencies, they do not require a direct line o
f sight to be triggered. As well, it is possible to put smart labels in obscure places to prevent their removal. Smart labels can be embedded in plastic. The smart label that is used on dogs is about the size of a piece of rice and is injected with a syr
inge under the skin in their neck.
Flexible wafer smart labels are so thin that they can be embedded in paper or foil, and are so flexible that they can be wrapped around a pencil, and still transmit. Smart label wafers can be reduced to 10-15 micrometers, compared to a
piece of paper, which is 80 micrometers thick.
Smart labels are part of a nascent market that will be experiencing tremendous growth rates. Germany and the Netherlands are leading the way with smart labels, and by 2004, the European market will reach $4.5 million. Philips Semi-cond
uctors based in Eindhoven is one of the leaders in smart label development. Berlin University for Technology (TU Berlin) is another smart label think-tank.
It is possible to associate a smart label with an asset owner. The asset owner could have a smart card that worked in conjunction with a smart label. If the object left a building perimeter without being accompanied by the smart card o
wner, alarms could go off, just like when you try to walk out of the Gap without paying for khakis.
