Billings Gazette: To understand something called radio frequency identification, dig the car keys out of your pocket.
Inside the keys made for every car in Europe and many in the United States is a miniscule microchip "tag" containing a serial number programmed into its memory.
When the key is put in the ignition, a "reader" in the steering column sends a signal asking for the number. If the reader doesn't like what the tag says, the car won't start.
These smart keys rely on RFID - a technology useful for identifying people or things that's on track to becoming as universal as bar codes.
"I would almost guarantee that you, on your person or in your car, have an RFID chip," said Mark Roberti, editor of RFID Journal in Melville, N.Y.
Without fanfare, RFID technology is reaching into every corner of the economy where counting, identifying, tracking or security is important.
