Researchers in Amsterdam say they have completed a device that prevents radio frequency identification tags from being read. The university professor overseeing the project says the goal is to protect people from a technology that is gaining wide acceptance but has the potential to compromise consumer privacy.

RFID chips, as small as a gain of sand, are being embedded in people, money, passports, and clothing from T-shirts to shoes. They’re being used to monitor vehicle traffic, track inventory and livestock, identify missing pets, and help pharmaceutical companies fight counterfeit drugs.

Vrije Universiteit Professor Andrew Tanenbaum said this week that the PDA-size handheld device ” dubbed RFID Guardian — beeps, warning a person when a RFID scanner is near and trying to read a chip embedded in a piece of clothing the person might be wearing

Source: InformationWeek

Toyota sees a future in plugging in vehicles - instead of simply pulling in for gas. Already a leader in the hybrid market with its Prius sedan, Toyota Motor Corp. plans to develop a hybrid vehicle that will run locally on batteries charged by a typical 120-volt outlet before switching over to a gasoline engine for longer hauls.

The technology is far from being ready - and there’s no timeline for when such cars might be offered for sale.

Still, the automaker is taking a serious look at another idea aimed at reducing motorists’ dependence on gasoline: flexible fuel vehicles capable of running on E85, an alternative fuel made of 85 percent ethanol.

Source: AP