In an entry earlier today, I mocked the usefulness of implanting RFID chips into people’s arms, but here is a really good use for them: networking tables. Yes, researchers have figured out a way to network two tables at remote locations. Wired: Gizmo Puts Cards on the Table.

The idea is that when someone puts an object with an RFID chip on the "sending" table, the system will project an image of that object to display on the remote "receiving" table. Pretty useful, huh? If I had that system I could…. Well, I’ll get back to you later with what I’d do with it, but it is pretty neat! And it doesn’t even require outpatient surgery.

This system was developed by MIT Media Lab Europe, and is part of their Habitat project.

"Habitat’s designers say the system can give people a sense of what their loved ones are up to and perhaps even how they are feeling…. Researchers at the Media Lab’s Human Connectedness research group, who designed Habitat, say the tables convey a broader picture of someone’s emotional state over the course of a day.

"The appearance of an image of a book at one table may suggest that someone is enjoying a day off from work. The sight of a pack of cigarettes however, could mean the same person is feeling stressed out and might appreciate a phone call from a friend."

The article did not mention what the presence of an Alice Cooper CD might mean, but the general consensus around here is that it couldn’t be anything good.

This is an example of what the article calls

"ubiquitous computing, an engineering approach that uses networks of tiny devices — RFID tags, sensors and transponders — to enhance people’s everyday experiences and strengthen their social bonds."

Yes, that is what I would do if I had the system to network two remote tables. I would build social bonds with my ubiquitous computing.