Wireless dog tags

The Army awarded a research and development contract to Rockville, Md.-based InHand Electronics Inc. to create an electronic personal information carrier that would store a soldier's complete medical records in a device the size of a dog tag.

According to the company, the Army wants a wireless device that everyone from battlefield medics to hospital workers can access. InHand will draw on its expertise in low-power wireless devices to develop technologies that reduce the energy requirements of the electronic dog tag, enabling it to work for several years.