Design, Art and RFID

Filed in archive RFID Basics on October 12, 2005

One of the more interesting uses of RFID technology from a consumer perspective -- and perhaps least written about -- is in design and art.

A whole new crop of design and art students are experimenting with RFID in novel ways. They are examining how RFID can affect human interaction and daily lives. (See previous posts here and here.)

On one level the art and design movement is related to ubiquitous computing. The difference is that the students are approaching it more from the perspective of enhancing individual daily living experiences, than from a technological or sweeping societal viewpoint.

In July of 2005 in amsterdam, Mediamatics held a "Triggered by RFID" workshop to explore the use of RFID in this manner.

For those of you, like me, who missed this workshop, the good news is that there is a website with a record of it. They also offer a list of articles and resources that can serve and/or change society and human interaction.

Using RFID in art and design is a relatively new and evolving area. In the future I would not be surprised to see advertising agencies and design studios developing specialties involving RFID. They will be working on projects to implement exciting new user experiences in shops, in office buildings, in our homes, and even in outdoor public settings. They will be using RFID-enabled consumer technologies, smart shelves and RFID-enabled displays, RFID-enabled point of sale applications, and similar technologies.

Tags: RFID