RFID could kill you
Researchers in the Netherlands have discovered that RFID systems, intended for tracking hospital kit, can fatally interfere with life-support systems from a distance of 30 centimetres. <snip> It's not entirely surprising that passive tags generate more interference, as such systems require the reader to generate an electromagnetic field that can be used to power the tag. But it is surprising that the tags generate any interference at all, since they are supposed to be entirely benign to other electronics, and one would hope that critical equipment would be adequately shielded. The research is to appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association in an editorial, written by the president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Dr. Donald Berwick, which calls for immediate action: "Attention must be paid to these disturbing findings ... It seems that hospitals, regulators, and manufacturers certainly have some immediate work to do including examining whether similar problems are occurring in hospital critical care units". <snip> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/25/rfid_interference/
Researchers in the Netherlands have discovered that RFID systems, intended for tracking hospital kit, can fatally interfere with life-support systems from a distance of 30 centimetres. <snip> It's not entirely surprising that passive tags generate more interference, as such systems require the reader to generate an electromagnetic field that can be used to power the tag. But it is surprising that the tags generate any interference at all, since they are supposed to be entirely benign to other electronics, and one would hope that critical equipment would be adequately shielded. The research is to appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association in an editorial, written by the president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Dr. Donald Berwick, which calls for immediate action: "Attention must be paid to these disturbing findings ... It seems that hospitals, regulators, and manufacturers certainly have some immediate work to do including examining whether similar problems are occurring in hospital critical care units". <snip> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/25/rfid_interference/