The tracking tag you just shake to send out a signal

[Nipuna]

It'll put you out of a job, pal (Image: Max Brouwers)

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WANT to keep tabs on your pet? Just slap a new coin-sized tagging device on it. The tag transmits a radio pulse that can be picked up at least 20 kilometres away – much further than existing tags can signal – and crucially, it needs no batteries to work.

Called Agitate, the device was developed by Roke Manor Research of Romsey, UK. It can be fitted to life jackets or used to keep track of livestock or people – for example, those who may become disoriented due to dementia. Because the device transmits whenever jolted, it can also signal damage to structures such as bridges.

Agitate contains two plates, one of metal, the other of a charged material. It converts the slightest movement between the two into electrical energy and uses this to transmit a radio pulse. The signal only lasts a few nanoseconds but is more powerful than that from a cellphone, says Peter Lockhart of Roke. The tags are robust enough to be put through a washing machine, so can be integrated into clothing.

Even as the device goes into production, the company is working on a follow-up that has a unique signature in its signal. This could replace radio frequency identification tags to allow objects to be identified and tracked at long range.