Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Cell Phones Track Kids in Denmark Zoo

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 12:52:25 -0400

Cell Phones Track Kids in Denmark Zoo

A new Bluetooth technology-based tracking service will be deployed in the Aalburg
Zoo in Denmark. BodyTag developed the BlueTag system for parents to keep track of
their children in the zoo. The system, which consists of 50 access points covering
the zoo's grounds, is still being tested by Aalborg and will be launched in July
with 200 tags available for use. The service works by attaching a small Bluetooth
pod/tag to a child's clothing. The parents can use their cell phone to track the
child.  The cell phone taps into a central database via a WLAN.

Zoo tracks children with Bluetooth tags
By Rupert Goodwins
Special to CNET News.com
June 26, 2003, 2:52 PM PT

Denmark's Aalborg Zoo is setting up a system that lets parents use their cell
phones to keep tabs on their children's whereabouts.

BodyTags, developed by tracking specialists BlueTags, are small Bluetooth pods
that clip to a child's clothing. Base stations scattered around a site detect
nearby tags and relay their location to a central database via wireless LAN (local
area network). Parents register their cell phones with the system and can get an
update on their progeny's position within 20 seconds of sending a query text
message.

The zoo will deploy the system-
-the first of its kind--in July, with 200 tags
and 50 access points covering the zoo's grounds.

"We are very excited about the
possibilities that the BlueTags
tracking system provides and we are
proud to be the first," said Henning
Julin, director of Aalborg Zoo. "I
expect many of my international
colleagues to receive this tracking
solution for children with open
arms."

Peter Lund, vice president of
business development at BlueTags,
said, "The system will spot when a
child is near an exit from the park,
and can alert the parents, the
administrators and the park's
security." Lund admitted that there
was nothing stopping mischievous
children from removing or swapping
their tags, but he said "the next version
will be a wristband that can't be taken
off without signaling an alarm."

Not only can parents relax and enjoy the attraction more with this system in
place, he said, but it gives children more opportunities to freely explore at
their own pace.
Other features include an optional automatic SMS sent every time a child moves
from zone to zone. "Both tag and access point can be adjusted in range," Lund
said. "Entrance points can be accurate down to two to three meters, but larger
zones can be set and can overlap to improve precision."

Lund said pricing for the tags would be set by the location's owners, and could
factor in a per-SMS charge if appropriate. "The software in the system can track
up to 100,000 tags, but the current hardware is limited to around 2,000. We're
also looking at other sorts of places, such as airports and hospitals," Lund said.

BlueTag expects the first deployment of the system in the United Kingdom to take
place before the end of 2003.

ZDNet UK's Rupert Goodwins reported from London.

http://news.com.com/2100-1041-1021566.html

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