Japanese are never short of ideas. The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is planning to use RFID for tracking disaster survivors. They intend to sprinkle disaster affected areas with RFID tagged sensors that would form a mesh network to detect heat and vibration. The sensors would be several centimeters large and thousands of sensors would be required to cover an area. The research is expected to be completed by 2007.

With Japan lying in a high seismic zone and where earthquakes are the order of the day, this application of RFID would certainly go a long way in helping mankind. Nothing better than a technology which can be put to such a great use in saving hundreds of precious lives. Certainly Japanese know what they need and try to get the best of what all is available. Hats off to them!!!