RFID is one of those exciting technologies that hasn’t seen the growth it should have because of silly issues like security and cost.  So far the main applications have been keyless locks, toll collecting, internal pet tags, and self-checkout at finer retail establishments.  Yawn.  Leave it to college students on the quest for a better binge to come up with a truly interesting application of RFID.

The Kegbot is a keg in a bar fridge (known as a kegerator at your local frat house) equipped with an RFID sensor and a network connection.  Kegbot tracks each drinker’s consumption and blood-alcohol content live on the website, and can be set to cut a drinker off when he’s had too much.  The creators hope it will help college groups run safer drinking games.  They also hope it will help groups run drinking competitions against other groups online.  If those seem to be contradictory goals, you haven’t spent enough time with Kegbot.  Realistically, I don’t think this will make drinking any safer since drinkers can use someone else’s RFID button or bring their own alcohol.  However, most college binge drinkers are already so reckless that they won’t be spurred on by the competition inherent in having every ounce they drink logged.  I can even see frat house hazing turning into Olympic level drunk training with “coaches” monitoring each pledge’s binge from the comfort of his bathroom floor.

Read about Kegbot’s trip to DefCon.

—–

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail