ComputerWorld.com is reporting on a new and unique use for RFID ( Radio Frequency Identification ) chips by a prominent Las Vegas casino.

According to the article, RFID chips are being inserted in the pouring spouts of liquor bottles to measure the flow of alcohol being poured by bartenders at MGM Mirage casinos.

The RFID chips communicate with the casino’s point of sale systems to record the amount of alcohol being used by bartenders.

The RFID tags are part of the MGM Mirage loss-control system. In addition to monitoring the flow of liquor, some RFID tags are also being used in some of the casino’s gaming chips.

Source: ComputerWorld.com

RFID Wizards is reporting on a new system that allows the FBI to track people and assets secretly using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

The Intelligent Perimeter Defense system is known as NOX and it allows the FBI to track people without their knowledge.

The NOX system uses high-resolution video images and RFID identification, for tracking and tracing people and assets in real time on a facility map to show the movement of both tagged objects and people. The system allows security personnel to monitor theft as it happens, even if the stolen item is hidden inside another object or article of clothing.

NOX is different from other security systems because it uses RFID for secret surveillance - RFID readers are hidden inside walls, floors, and ceilings; RFID tags are discretely placed; and only the security people know that the system is operational – until the thief is caught. At that point, all the thief knows is that he or she has been caught in the act by video cameras.

A commander with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service commented on the NOX technology by saying –

“It takes a criminal twelve seconds to defeat a lock or fence. Yet, we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to create fences that only provide an illusion of security. NOX creates a virtual perimeter that tells us who is penetrating the perimeter, when they are doing it and, where it’s happening. With this information, we can respond with the appropriate level of force and prevent further penetration.”

NOX will have a large number of uses for both private and government sectors. It is estimated that employees steal over a billion dollars a week from their employers for a total of one trillion dollars annually.

Source: Industry Wizards

China is close to completing a $6 billion project that involves the issuing of identity cards to its adult population by 2008.

The identity cards come with RFID chips for identifying and tracking people.

By the end of 2008 China will have issued between 900 million and a billion of these tracking cards to its citizens.

Source: vnunet.com