Wireless technology for managing people and objects - Future social networks?

If you need information, the internet will be a rich source. But if you want to find a person or an object, the computer will not help. Obstacles that will soon be remedied. Electronic cards promise to create the 'internet of things' in which objects and people are connected through a virtual network.

To get a glimpse into the future world with the technology, a pilot project involving dozens of people in the computer science building - the University of Washington has provided the next step to building the network. social networks where people whose objects are wirelessly managed in a hilly space. Starting in March, the staff, engineers and volunteer students will wear electronic cards on their clothes as well as their belongings so their location can be determined every 5 seconds. a 6-storey building. Information will be saved as a database, posted on websites and used in many tools. The project is one of the largest experiments to explore the potential of wireless cards in social management.

According to Magda Balazinska - directing the project and an assistant professor of engineering and computer science at the University of Washington - the ecological RFID project aims to create a world that many tech experts predict. It will come true. This project exploits the benefits of radio frequency identification cards (or RFID) in a social environment. The project team installed 200 antennas at Paul Allen's Computer Science and Engineering Center. Early next month, researchers will begin recruiting 50 volunteers from about 400 people who regularly enter the building.

The system can alert users when they forget things.Photo: Image courtesy of University of Washington

Balazinska said: ' Our goal is to find out the benefits of this technology and protect the privacy of each person. We want to find out what problems will arise if this management system becomes a reality . '

Many companies have used RFID tags to track products in the supply chain. Currently this application is spreading to other areas. Some transport companies use radio cards in buses or trains. New US passports also incorporate RFID tags. Technology experts predict that RFID tags will soon be attached to consumer devices such as mobile phones, laptops or music players.

To produce an RFID tag that looks a bit like a thin and flexible credit card costs 20 cents. A card reader can scan the card through any nonmetal barrier from 30 feet away, depending on the card type. RFID tags are actually a miniature computer chip that contains more information than bar codes. You can also write on RFID tags - that is, signs not only to identify objects or people but also to know which objects or people they belong to, when they were last seen and information. another.

Technology has affirmed its use in goods management. The manufacturer can identify which workshop a burger truck is, when it is sent, and the storage temperature record during transportation. Some people in computer science - the University of Washington recently asked to join and study so they could keep track of their device when it was shipped in the building.

But for some people, the potential of this technology also raises some questions. RFID tags can be read from a distance that the wearer is unaware of. The relevant database contains a huge amount of information.

Gaetano Borriello, a professor of engineering and computer science at the University of Washington, said: ' What happens if people who read RFID tags are everywhere and when everything has RFID tags? What are its advantages and disadvantages? What do you think about all the data? For computer science, we try to create a future world that does not yet exist. We want to gain experience rather than guessing it . "

Many people agree to participate in experimental research. Each participant will be able to choose who is allowed to read information about themselves, and can delete any data by themselves and have the right to drop research at any time without explanation. The researchers also noted that they should not place RFID card readers near bathrooms or eating areas because they are considered private spaces of each person.

Volunteers will be interviewed in batches. Experts will assess the positive aspects, such as tracking everything from where you lost your laptop charger or where your friends drink coffee, besides considering the negative issues for private space.

Evan Welbourne, a student studying engineering and computer science at the University of Washington, said: ' Even if you want to study privacy or just use it, you need to study the another thing. People will provide more information if it helps them. You cannot separate your personal problem from the application problem . '

The team members are testing the system on themselves. Last year, all 10 members of the group wore cards on their necks and placed them on some of their belongings. Balazinska installed the system so that she could not see her students, but she allowed them to access her own information. Students also occasionally use alerts to search for their teachers when she leaves the building. Many members of the research team said they used the database to find out where they left off their belongings.

The pilot study will combine two new features developed by students to exploit the potential benefits of the project. In it, an invention is a tool used to record the activities of people on Google Calendar. Study participants can set up the system to instantly post their web calendar activities such as work hours, meetings or lunch breaks.

Welbourne said: ' It's a perfect memo system that records all your personal activities for a whole day. You can return to the previous day or the previous month to see what you have done or who you recently met . '

Another tool is a device to find you (called RFIDder). It will send warning signals immediately to the email address or mobile phone of the participants to inform them of their friends' specific times and locations. With RFIDder, each user can choose who is allowed to view their data. They can change the settings at any time, and can turn it off easily if they don't want to be found. The system is connected to Twitter - an online blog that people can post to their place.

Balazinska said: ' We want to see how groups of people use these tools, whether they find them useful or not, and how they adapt to them .'

Researchers have also found a way to solve technical problems including RFID data classification. As data flooded, researchers made them meaningful. They also want to develop the main database where people can find the information they need but cannot abuse it by reading too much of other people's personal information. The suggestion is that the system should set prices when searching for specific types of information or setting prices with allowing people to know who is viewing their information.

Focused research focuses on withdrawing information from incomplete data. Metal can prevent RFID tag signals and use data to find everyone's true location is quite difficult. The current system combines artificial intelligence and database engineering to create usable information, according to Balazinska. She said: ' This is a key project with many aspects. We are concerned that this technology is being deployed too quickly. With the system we want to exploit it in a controlled environment, to inform the community and policy makers of issues we may face . '

The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, Microsoft Research and the University of Washington Technical University.