If you don’t currently have a stalker, and are feeling a bit left out, the Mini Cooper might help you fill that void with billboards that speak to you. The boards, which usually carry typical advertising, are programmed to identify approaching Mini drivers through a coded signal from a radio chip embedded in their key fob. The messages are personal, based on questionnaires that owners filled out: “Mary, moving at the speed of justice,” if Mary is a lawyer, or “Mike, the special of the day is speed,” if Mike is a chef.
RFID (radio frequency identification) technology is making the experiment possible. Researchers and entrepreneurs have labored for decades to extend the practical uses of wireless tracking using radio tags.
Minority Report suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched, does it?
Posted by Leigh Peterson
Tags: Advertising
mel (January 31st, 2007)
kewl, Mini Big Brother.