Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a rather simple, passive communication, and tracking technology that dates back to the WWII era. Given that it’s origin makes it about three-quarters of a century old, it’s not exactly thought of as cutting edge in and of itself. But there is something to be said for the beauty and elegance of simplicity. As DaVinci put it, “Simplicity is the highest form of sophistication. When simplicity is combined with usefulness in the form of a tool, you have the makings for something always stands the test of time, even in the era when many new technologies are rendered obsolete within a decade.

It’s simplicity is why RFID is proving to be one of the most useful and intriguing facets of cutting-edge functionality in some of today’s most high-tech devices. Implemented in everything from credit, cards to automated shipping systems and conveyor systems, to mobile devices, and especially in the latest smart-home appliances within the emerging Internet of Things, RFID is one of the linchpin features enabling latest-generation smart devices of every sort to speak to each other.

Things that were inanimate objects just a decade ago are now able to develop a syntax with one another, send each other notifications that initiate a chain of commands, and in a certain sense, transcend their functionality. Many people find this idea terrifying, like a bad omen from a dystopian sci-fi reality. Others just think it’s neat that the RFID technology in their smart refrigerator sends a message to their smartphone to inform the user that yogurt’s gone bad. Whatever the case, whatever the opinion, RFID, this strangely old and simple, but advanced technology, will continue to intrigue us long into the future.