In Japan, mini RFID charm offers instant access to medical data

When trouble befalls someone possessing one of Asahi Kasei's charms, medical personnel can easily use the device to view critical medical information about its owner.

For consumers with serious health conditions, getting key medical information into the right hands at the right time can mean the difference between life and death. That was the inspiration for the Press Don’t Panic device we featured late last year, and it has also led to the creation of a new RFID-enabled charm from Japanese Asahi Kasei. When trouble befalls someone possessing one of Asahi Kasei’s charms, medical personnel can easily use the device to view critical medical information about its owner. Asahi Kasei’s forthcoming 3-by-3-cm device is based on Sony’s FeliCa smart card technology, which is already in widespread use throughout Japan. Important medical information can be stored on the chip — blood type, allergies and existing conditions, for example — allowing paramedics and other hospital staff to access that information in an emergency. To do so, they need only tap their own FeliCa equipment against the consumer’s Asahi Kasei charm, and the data will appear on-screen in seconds. For very large files such as X-ray images, the device can provide links to the necessary data on external servers. Due within a year, the Asahi Kasei device will reportedly be priced at USD 25 per unit. As devices get smaller and smaller and connectivity continues to improve, there’s no end in sight to the potential new solutions for human health and beyond. How can your tech-savvy brand forge connections in places and ways that haven’t been possible before? Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage