In one high-tech thriller after another, the hero
attaches a tiny tracking device on the villain and follows him as a
blinking dot on a computer screen.
In real life, this kind of technology would be great for tracking
pets or kids, even packages or luggage — anything that tends to
wander.
But it doesn’t really exist.
There are GPS devices, of course, but strap a half-pound GPS
collar to a dog and you’ll realize it’s far from “Mission Impossible.” GPS-enabled cell phones are becoming more common, but they have problems, like accuracy indoors, and they aren’t cheap.
A Sandy, Utah company, S5 Wireless, is looking to bring reality closer
to the movies, with small, cheap chips that can be powered by a single battery for up to two years and tracked indoors and outside,
over long distances.
For instance, an S5 chip could go into a dog collar, complete
with a battery, in a package about the size of a stick of gum that costs $3 to $4 to make. When the battery runs down, it’s time to buy a new collar.
The same concept could be applied to a kid’s backpack, with an
antenna running through the strap.
“It’s like a poor man’s LoJack or OnStar,” said David Carter,
S5’s chief executive.
The drawback to the technology is that unlike the Global
Positioning System, which is quite literally global, S5’s technology
would only work where the company has a network of stations to
receive S5 signals. S5 is planning to start building those in some
major U.S. cities next year.
What the chips do is basically GPS in reverse. GPS satellites
operated by the Air Force send signals to receivers in devices like car navigation systems. Those receivers need a line of sight to the sky, so they work only outdoors and are fairly power-hungry.
By contrast, the S5 chips send radio signals that will be picked
up by receivers S5 plans to build….