Some 21 countries including India, Mexico, Spain and Saudi Arabia have started using the UN Universal Postal Union's (UPU) global monitoring system (GMS) that uses RFID to track letters and evaluate postal service quality. The first phase of the GMS project comprises a trial run from this month until December involving 530 independent panelists from 38 countries.??Data will be collected as the letters pass through special gates equipped with RFID readers and sent to the UPU, which will then use the data to identify service failures and help improve operational efficiency.?? A smart cane developed by students at Central Michigan University in the US detects obstacles using RFID technology.??Equipped with an ultrasonic sensor, the cane works with a navigational system inside a bag worn by the user. Together, they detect RFID tags mounted on small flags that stick out of the ground.?? A speaker on the bag's strap alerts the user when an obstacle is in the way and tells the person where to walk. For people who can't hear, a special glove vibrates different fingertips to provide direction on where to navigate.
