In November 2006 two events took place that suggested sensor technology was nearing a tipping point. First, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) announced a plan to install sensor technology in the car of anyone convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. The organization’s rationale was that in spite of the great progress it has made in the past two decades since it began pushing for tougher laws against drunk drivers, statistics indicated that in recent years the number of deaths caused by drunk drivers has stayed steady. MADD wanted to do better and it believed sensor technology could help.
After the proposal was announced, proponents believed it would still be years before the technology had matured and dropped in price to a point where the major automobile manufacturers would consider installing it. In early 2007 Toyota surprised observers by announcing that it was actively developing the technology and felt such sensors could be installed as early as 2008. Obviously there are privacy concerns surrounding the technology as well as legitimate issues about how people–especially serial drunk driving offenders–might get around it, but Toyota’s announcement proves that sensor technology is now practical enough to be seriously considered for such applications.
The second event took place in Britain when Marks & Spencer, the larger British retailer, announced that it had achieved its goal of 100 percent stock accuracy, following its successful trial of employing RFID tags in forty-two stores to track inventory. The company added that it planned to increase that number to eighty stores by the end of 2008. (By embedding the RFID tags in throwaway wrappers and not the product themselves, Marks & Spencer was able to adroitly sidestep the privacy issue.)
Exponential Insight
In today’s global environment, low-cost sensors and RFID tags have the potential to imbue old products with new capabilities as well as give retailers and others a real advantage in terms of managing inventory. In businesses where the margins are already razor thin, these small tools could make a big difference. To return to the “better mousetrap” idea, it might surprise you to know that the latest and greatest mousetrap is now armed with a sensor that alerts homeowners whenever a rodent has been snared. In addition to freeing people from having to unnecessarily check the devices, the sensors are also useful in better determining where the mice are coming from.
Related Posts
Jump the Curve Strategy #9: Follow Your Hunch
Jump the Curve Strategy #8: Run the Numbers
Jump the Curve Strategy #7: Reorganize Your Data Storage Closet
Jump the Curve Strategy #6: Let the Computer Do It
Jump the Curve Strategy #5: Bet On It
Jump the Curve Strategy #4: Just “Wiki” It
Jump the Curve Strategy #3: Look to the Kindness of Strangers
Jump the Curve Strategy #2: Take a Bird’s Eye View of the World
Jump the Curve Strategy #1: Learn to Spell Zenzizenzizenzic
Introduction to Chapter Two: The Power of Zenzizenzizenzic
Welcome to the Exponential Economy: Prepare to Jump the Curve
Introduction to Jump the Curve
