RFID Lowdown: RFID Unusual Uses: Parkour

September 29, 2006

RFID Unusual Uses: Parkour

You might have seen it in TV commercials: a group of twenty-somethings jumping and vaulting and dropping and generally doing acrobatics in urban areas. (See YouTube video above and below.) They're usually so good they make the activity look easy. But their moves are jaw-droppingly amazing, and reminiscent of the acrobatics of martial arts actor Jackie Chan. I never get tired of watching these incredible athletes in their free-spirited endeavours.

This practice, called Parkour, is discussed in a new RFID-enabled form at The RFID Weblog and Nearfield.org. The RFID is used to set up a sort of obstacle course in three dimensions, and consists of three components: a base station, roaming discs with an RFID reader/ writer, and wearable cip. Read more at The RFID Weblog and Nearfield.org. (Nearfield, I assume is named for NFC, or Near Field Communication, which is a form of RFID technology that works at close ranges and is typically used in contactless smart cards and cell phones.)

By the way, out of concern for your safety, I should point out that Parkour not only takes extreme stamina, strength, and confidence but also a great deal of training. Don't try this, please, without the training, as you can just imagine how much it'll hurt if you miss.