As part of my ongoing efforts to highlight positive news coverage of radio frequency identification in the mainstream media, I would like to alert you to a piece recently run by ABC News. This video highlights the use of an active RFID transponder on a newborn that prevented a kidnapper from removing the child from a hospital (see Woman Disguised as Nurse Tries to Kidnap Baby).
According to the report, a woman dressed as a nurse entered a maternity ward and instructed a woman who had just given birth to shower before being examined by a doctor. As the new mother went into the bathroom, the kidnapper posing as a nurse placed the baby into a tote bag and tried to leave the facility. When she approached the exit, the infant’s transponder triggered an alarm, and the woman was apprehended.
The news report never specifically mentions RFID, but the technology involved was the Hugs Infant Protection System, from Stanley Health Care Solutions.
RFID thwarts a kidnapping and gets some positive media coverage. I like it.
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below. To read more of Mark’s opinions, visit the RFID Journal Blog, the Editor’s Note archive or RFID Connect.