Hitachi Shows Off Powder-Sized Smart Tag

February 23rd, 2007 Hitachi Shows Off Powder-Sized Smart Tag (AP)

In this photo released by Hitachi, Ltd., new radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips are placed next to a human hair (that's running horizontally) for comparison in Tokyo, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. Smart tags, or computer chips used for tracking items by relaying information wirelessly, are getting so tiny lately, the latest, billed as the world's smallest, is as invisible as a speck of dust. RFID chips looks like powder, measuring just 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches) by 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches), and are thin enough to be embedded in pieces of paper, company spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007.(AP Photo/Hitachi, Ltd.)

(AP) -- Tiny computer chips used for tracking food, tickets and other items are getting even smaller. Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese electronics maker, recently showed off radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips that are just 0.002 inches by 0.002 inches and look like bits of powder. They're thin enough to be embedded in a piece of paper, company spokesman Masayuki Takeuchi said Thursday.

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