Edible RFID Technology: Changing Our Perception Of Food

If you keep up with the latest evolving technologies, you are probably aware that RFID technology is huge right now. RFID is simply a tracking system that gives the reader information stored on a tag, which is attached to the object. If you are like me, you wondered exactly what the differences between RFID and barcodes are. After all, they seem very similar. I found the answer to that question in Difference Between RFID and Barcodes.

Here’s where things get a little freaky… Edible RFID tag technology is also evolving at a rapid pace. It’s already being used in certain situations (i.e. medical). What if there was RFID data embedded directly into our food? Can you imagine the possibilities?

First of all, when at the grocery store, our items could be rung up the moment they are placed in the cart. It would eliminate the need for standing in line and ringing up each item individually. Next, our corresponding refrigerator could read the RFID data and alert us when an expiration date passes or when our fresh fruit is about to spoil. This technology could even help us with our diets. If we had a plate that reads RFID data, we could put a cookie on that plate and our mobile device could display the nutritional information to assist us in making the right food choices.

This data could even go so far as to tell us the history of our vegetables regarding the farm and location where it was grown. A more fancy use in a nice restaurant might be to display the heritage and ingredients of the sushi we ordered. And, of course, this could literally be a lifesaver for people with food allergies.

In the pictures below you’ll see something that looks like a wooden cutting board and a white plate. Those are both part of a design created by Hannes Harms called the Nutrismart System. What a great marriage between technology and food intake. The short video below explains all the geeky details. If we really were to start using a system like this, I think our entire perception of food would change for the better. Now I just have to wrap my head around eating the RFID data. Yuck.

Via: [Tuvie]