No more need for batteries in that remote control:

Taiwanese electronics specialist Favite has been demonstrating its latest remote control module using RFID technology to remove the need for batteries – at least for those prepared to bathe their living room in a two-watt energy field.

Using a passive RFID tag to communicate with a TV might seem strange, but at 433MHz the range is sufficient, and a modern tag is perfectly capable of reporting which button is being pressed while collecting energy from the two-watt induction field being generated by the TV every few seconds.

Favite accepts that not everyone is going to want such a high-powered transmitter in the corner of their living room, so it’s suggested that a rechargeable version could exist, or one powered with a button cell which it reckons should give ten years of life in normal use.

Most remotes still operate on infrared, which is largely line of sight and very, very, cheap. For TVs that line of sight issue has never really been a problem: why would you want control of the TV you can’t see?

Via theregister.co.uk.