| Wireless Island in Japan |
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| Thursday, 17 May 2007 | |||
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Japan will set up an experimental high-tech wireless zone on one of its islands next year, where sensors will allow doctors to remotely monitor the health of the elderly and alert motorists to nearby pedestrians.
Produce such as vegetables would carry IC tags that could send information such as where they were grown to shoppers' mobile phones, according to Kyodo News agency. Sensors would monitor the movement of pedestrians and notify nearby drivers, and check the heart rate of elderly people living alone for round-the-clock monitoring by local hospitals, according to the report. IC tags are tiny computer chips with antennas which can be used to track products. To test the technology, the government intends to cooperate with telecom carriers, electronics manufacturers, automakers and other companies, the report said. Technology deemed successful will then be offered nationwide. The wireless zone will likely be set up on the northern island of Hokkaido or southern island chain of Okinawa, where there is less radio wave interference, according to Kyodo. Calls to the ministry for confirmation went unanswered Saturday. While there are risks involved with using devices such as RFID and IC tags -- unauthorized access of personal information on the IC tag being one of the largest risks -- Japan has not shied away from wireless technology. For example, a current project in a Tokyo shopping district uses up to 1,200 chips to project maps and store guides to shoppers. Japan is already a global leader in wireless technology. A Y1 billion ($A10 million) project in a central Tokyo shopping area uses 1,200 tiny computer chips embedded in lampposts, subway-station ceilings and roads to beam maps and store guides to passers-by.             |
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