#228 Proximity Technology

We just returned from a great trip down the Rhine River.  The boat we were on was christened in April so it was very modern.  One of the items that caught my attention was the door lock on our room.  It used proximity technology so our plastic room key did not have to be inserted.  You just had to wave the key within a couple of inches of the lock.  If you are like me, I think this is a great break through.  The old plastic magnetic insert keys were notoriously unreliable.  I don't know of anyone that travels that hasn't found that their magnetic key did not work and they were locked out of their room.  Then comes the walk of anger as you go back to the front desk to get the key reprogrammed for some unknown reason.  We were on the boat for 8 days and never had a problem.  I put the key in my wallet and just passed it by the lock when I wanted in. 

Proximity technology is showing up in more locations.  Many new cars no longer come with keys.  They come with a fob that can automatically unlock your doors when you are near the car.  The fob also allows you to push a button to start and stop a car.  Not sure of the benefit of the start/stop button other then saving your pants (purse) some wear and tear.   You can also now change out your house door lock for a proximity lock.  This lock also has a keypad in case you don't have your fob.  I don't know how reliable any of this technology is or how secure.  It does require power (battery normally) in either the sensor or fob/card or both places.  And we all know that batteries don't last forever.  I'm sure there are horror stories about not being able to stop/start a car or get into your house.  I would think there needs to be a backup plan for using this technology.

The technology comes in two forms:  Passive and Active.   The key on our cruise ship was passive.  the battery is located in the door lock.  The passive plastic key has an antenna and chip that can be programmed with your individual door info.  They are activated by the power in the lock so the key has to be very close to the lock to work (within 2 inches or so).  The car lock fobs are active (and have a battery) so your car lock can be activated 10 feet from the car.  They work on high frequency radio (13.56Mhz is one of the usable frequencies) so don't have any competing items that can trip the lock. 

I sure can think about other uses of this technology.  I'd love for the computer, lights and heat/cool to turn on and adjust when I walk in a room or the house.  I've seen faucets that work with reflective proximity sensors.  They bounce a radio wave over you hands and turn on the water.  They still haven't figured out one to do the water temperature that you require.  So let you mind imagine the many potential uses of this technology and get out there and patent it!