Suggesting it is one thing, Richard. Actually doing it is quite another. Let’s not wait for manufacturers and medics to thresh out a standard (life’s too short), but get on and build a prototype or two ourselves.
There are a lot of interesting (?) facets to this. Like, for example, how to pull out information from the software services already provided within the many different types of equipment (all, I should imagine, using dedicated one-off embedded programs)? Sounds like a hardware hack to me, Mate. But don’t forget that the Box has to work with all types of equipment. Perhaps it’s not actually do-able at all.
So, let’s put this open to the floor, and hear feedback from the rest of the forum. I reckon it’s an idea worthy of development, but as I say, let’s have an agreed spec first. Yes, we should tick the RFID box straight away. Anybody got some passive RFID boxes we can play with?
Regarding percentages, anyone expecting a
taste is bound to be disappointed unless he (she) is prepared to plonk some money on the table at the beginning. That’s the way these things work, I’m afraid!
What I would really like to see is a) An agreed spec about what the Box must do (we could have more than one spec if you like, a Basic Box and a Super Box, or whatever) and then b) Hold a competition to design and build Boxes that meet the spec and c) Have them judged at a suitable venue, by a genius person or noble gang (please step forward, Mr. John Sandham and Mr. Darren Magee – just for argument’s sake, you understand)!
