I know this may be old news to some of the GPS enthusiasts of the world, but there is this company from New Zealand that is making some really ridiculously small GPS tracking chips – and I mean ridiculously small. The company’s name is Rakon, and they make GPS chips for all sorts of things, but most of their chips are geared toward GPS cell phone market. The fact that these chips are so small is important for all those in the GPS tracking community for several different reasons, the least of which is that small GPS chips are freakin’ cool. The others mainly have to do with the future of GPS tracking.
But before we get into all the cool future stuff, let’s understand a little bit about the GPS chips that Rankon is putting out there. These are powerful chips that function at some of the highest levels in the consumer grade GPS tracking products. They do an excellent job at handling weak signal and dynamic environments, enabling maximum GPS performance when you need it most. Their chips work indoor and outdoors, under tree canopies or in canyons, on country roads or beneath sky scrappers. And the best part about these chips is that they are really small. One GPS chip comes in at 2.5 mm x 2.0 mm – yeah, that is right, millimeters. That is 0.09843 inches x 0.07874 inches for all those who live in countries that still use the backword inefficient imperial system.
Needless to say, when a cell phone company wants a small GPS tracking chip to install in their cell phone they are going to consider the folks at Rankon.
But it is pretty obvious that people who want to create GPS tracking cell phones are going to look for a small GPS chip. They want to conserve space inside their phone so that they can make is as slim and sleek as possible. Consumers want something that is going to be easy to use – meaning that it is lightweight but sturdy, small but not too small, powerful but not power hungry, and full of features (like GPS navigation and GPS tracking) but not too hard to use – and by giving them a small chip to use in the phone a company like Rankon is empowering phone creators to dream big with their phone designs.
This is the cool factor of this technology right now, but there is a lot of potential upside to having really small GPS chips for the future. One is that this technology can be used to help people keep track of their pets. Small GPS tracking chips for dogs could be implanted somewhere under the skin on the back of the dog and if coupled with the right technology this could provide real time GPS tracking of the pet’s whereabouts on a 24/7 basis.
The extra technology that you would need to generate to make something like this isn’t too hard to dream up. You would just need an ability to communicate wirelessly with a cell phone tower. This is technology that is already being made smaller and smaller. Today there are watches, which are much smaller than cell phones, that have the ability to make phone calls over the wireless networks that dot the countrysides of the world. I can only see this technology getting smaller and smaller too until one day it fits within a 2.5 mm x 2 mm space.
The next technology that would be needed will be some sort of power supply that is renewable and persistent. That way the small GPS tracking chip and the cell phone transmission component could be in constant use – giving it its 24/7 real time tracking capabilities. For this, I can think of two solutions. The first is to make this power source solar – so during the day the device works off the sun and then during the night is runs off stored power from during the day. This is probably a less than ideal solution since batteries never seem to have an infinite life cycle – heck, some batteries can’t even last a few months let alone 10-14 years that a dog is alive. The second solution is much better but much harder as far as I know – it is to harness the heat produced by the dog and use it to power the two devices.
This would be an incredible solution and would allow for tracking of all sorts of animal life. You could use it in a dog, but you could also tag all warm blooded animals with this type of GPS tracking chip and cell phone device combination in order to get huge amounts of position information for use in scientific research. Our ability to understand the movements of our companions here on this earth would grow at an incredibly pace.
This type of technology would also make these GPS tracking chips for children too. In fact, it would probably enable a future society to be able to know the exact location of every person in the world at the exact same time! If I wanted to get all 1984-esque, if there was a small microphone on the cell phone component then you would know where everyone in the world was and what they were talking about at any given moment. Now that would be something.
So in one way it is really cool that GPS tracking chips keep getting smaller and smaller, but in another way it is really creepy and a little unnerving. I know that technology is essentially amoral, but people sure as hell aren’t and I would hate to see what people would end up doing with this type of GPS tracking.
I would never ever put that life threatening chip into my skin. The government is a living demon who wants to control everyone and invade everyone’s privacy for the sake of what? Safety? No thanks, it said this would happened in the Bible its all fun and games until everyone with Chips begins to die of infection.
Hi Erik,
I don’t think I’d put a chip like that into my skin either, especially if it is one that is going to be installed by the government. There are still a ton of technological hurdles for scientists to overcome before implantable GPS tracking chips become a reality, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you. It is all still a long way off.
-Joe
hi
I am looking to use it in laptop can i ?
and how ?
I wish this company would get with it already. They developed this thing in like 2006. Many many many have been interested in buying it and inserting it into a host of different objects. But it’s not available….not on a consumer level or commercial level. I’ve wanted to buy their stock for awhile now but can’t force myself to do it seeing how they refuse to develope this into a marketable product. Hell, it’s marketable as is. Most people want to make their own casing/coverings for it. And just want to buy the chip. If you search the internet for “worlds smallest gps tracking devices” the smallest they have is the size of a pager. Far to big for many of the purposes it is needed for. Anyway, sell the damn thing already.
Hi Jess,
That is kind of lame that this chip has not hit the market yet. I guess I assumed that it was already in things like cell phones and smaller GPS tracking devices because it seemed like such a perfect fit for them, but hearing that it is not is kind of mind boggling. Why make the world’s smallest GPS tracking chip and not sell it for people to use?
That just doesn’t make any sense.
-Joe
Yes i agree with you Joe
I think this is a great idea especially for personal items you want to find if lost or stolen. I was robbed this weekend and they took my personal dayplanner with an unimaginable amount of personal and business information within. I sure would have like to have had a tracker chip in that book so I could find it again and procecute the person(s) that got it and several other personal items out of my vehicle. I plan on looking for one (or more) for my replacement dayplanner, and other items, immediately. If anyone has information on a supplier, please forward the information to me as soon as possible. Thanks. Danny
I love the comment from Erik that it said this would happen in the Bible. I wonder what version of the bible Erik got this from… seeing that this type of telecommunications was hardly standard over the large period of history that the bible was written? Could you clarify Erik, is it the old or the new testament and what chapter also pls?
Hi Sean,
I know tis is like 2 years after you posted your comment but anyways…
This is what Erik is referring to:
Revelation 13:16-18
New International Version (NIV)
“16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
🙂
GPS tracking has made our life more different,when you install the Car tracker,you can know exactly of you car ,when the theft want s to stole it can alert.and if it is installed in a child ,you can find him when he got lost.you can contact them by SMS/GPRS, it means you can do it by mobile or the internet.very convenient.nowadays, al ot of businessman do this kind of trade.they import the sell to the customers.for more infomation,we can disuss just send me email or add me MSN:oneralarm02@gmail.com
Danny et al – I would also like to get my hands on a gps chip that can be installed on equipment to track in the event of it going missing. I suppose this can be done today but you have to pay expensive subscription charges when you may only want to track the unit for a short period of time. Let me know at stevemac@ireland.com if anyone comes up with any suggestions.
I really want little GPS chips for my dogs! I don’t think the traditional I.D. chip is good enough… especially if someone finds your dog, thinks she’s cute, and decides to keep her! I would really like to be able to track my dogs down, especially since we travel a lot, and my dogs are really freakin’ cute!!! 🙂
I would love this! If a evil dictator or someone had control over it, I’d be worried. Otherwise it is a brilliant idea.
Especially for my dog who likes to bolt out the door every chance he gets.
I would also like to get some more information about the gps chip .I am in the police and it will help us a lot with stock theft. Pls. let me know.
Ha Ha Ha
Erik is funny………..
SeanM is hillarious too……..
We already have one that can track a cell phone,car just about anything or anyone.Our monthly fee is less then you think! Let me know if you would like more info storagerandy@yahoo.com
Hi
I just want to know what the once off fee will be on the chip that you advertise
Kind regards natacha
Hi
I just want to know what is the cost for a tacking chip.
Kind Regards
Natacha
Hi Natacha,
I am not sure what a GPS tracking chip is going to cost. Most of the time companies buy the tracking chips for use inside some other type of electronic device – like a cell phone or a navigation GPS. They are not typically sold to consumers for consumption. If you want a device that will track through GPS then I would suggest buying one of the devices that already has one of these chips installed.
-Joe
hi i just wana know were cn one bay that small cheap..please help me.
Hello Salim,
I would assume that you would want to contact the manufacturer to see if you could buy one from them directly or from one of their preferred vendors. I’m not sure if they will sell them to consumers, but if you are a business representative I am sure that they would love to hear from you.
-Joe
first off, they already have chips that you can install in dogs, atleast in this “backwards country that still uses the imperial system,” a family friend owns world champion frisbee dogs and the gps helped the veterinarian who found him locate the owner, second, if you have received a U.S. passport recently, its tracked, any late model vehicle, being tracked, chevy actually advertises its gps tracking and locator services. fact is, if Rankon is not selling it’s version of the small chip, it is most likely selling some other version of a chip or it would most likely not still be in business, so much other technology is being crammed into handheld devices that manufacturers have no use for a chip any bigger than 1.5 square inches. It wont be long before everyone can track anyone or anything from any source. And as far as the day planner goes, password protection, otherwise you are foolishly putting yours and your businesses information at risk.
Hi Jeremy H,
I really don’t think that there is a real time GPS tracking device that you can install in (as in inside) a dog. Real time GPS tracking not only requires a power source to power the GPS component of the tracker but also the cell phone modem or radio transmitter. Most consumer grade batteries would go out in just a couple of days under this load, making the GPS installed inside the dog – or any other living being – useless without some sort of procedure to get new batteries in and the old batteries out.
I am almost certain that you are talking about an RF chip that was installed inside your friend’s frisbee dogs. These chips simply store information like the address and phone number of the owner, the name of the pet, etc. They are not GPS tracking chips and they certainly do not track pets in real time.
As to your comment about Passports being tracked – I have no doubt that the passport is tracked using RF technology, but this certainly is not real-time GPS tracking nor is it any other type of GPS tracking.
Also, not all cars have a built in GPS tracking device in them. You are simply mistaken in this assertion. While more and more cars are getting things like OnStar and other GPS tracking systems with the trend for this type of technology to become standard on all makes and models it is not yet the universal norm. It might be one day, just not today.
I think you are right in suggesting that we are soon going to be able to track anyone at anytime because our devices will increasingly become wireless and interconnected. It is simply a matter of time before this happens.
Thanks for the comment and for stopping by!
-Joe
Backwards country that still uses the imperial system? What a douchebag!!! Yeah, we backwards people know nothing here in the USA, I guess splitting the atom before anyone else definitely keeps us in that “backwards” category.
Hey Tanya,
It is true the the USA has done a lot to advance science. It is also true that scientists exclusively use the metric system. The reason for this is that it is better and makes more sense than the imperial system.
-Joe
Extreme situations demand extreme measures! Should Erik be in the shoes of so many parents around the world who lose their kids and no Amber Alert whatsoever can trace them or bring them back then I think he would reconsider the transdermal GPS chip technology. Madeleine was never found. Thomas is still missing. Olivia too. Tobias, Angeline, Karmen, Jurito; the number of missing and/or abducted innocent children is rising EVERY SECOND. Most of these children have their vital organs removed and left to die under conditions that guys like Erik can NEVER come close even if they use their wildest imagination!!! I don’t give a dime what the “Holy” bible says. This book is nothing but a SHIELD used by those who don’t KNOW what’s out there! This is my opinion and I intend to inject not ONE but multiple gps chips to my children in fear of battery shortage one day. Erik’s children? I leave them to his (ir)responsibility. This is Davina from Greece, greetings.
@Danny
I can relate to this, my PSP got stolen about two days ago, some thugs tried to knock me out for it but they ended up just grabbing it out of my pocket and running off with it, When I but my replacement, I want to install a GPS tracker in it, and all of my personal valuables. If anyone has any info on where to purchases such devices, please let me know.
@tanya
You realize of course the US had the help of such great minds like Albert Einstein in Project Manhattan right, I’m not sure if he was directly involved, though I know there was an enormous influx of German scientist who did help in this research. and the Imperial system really is a backwater system, metrics kick ass, base 10 rules!!!
hello i live in Belize city, its a beautiful place but it is violent for local people. I have been robbed 3 times twice at gun point the latest time a good friend (Female) of mine got pistil whipped i mean what man does that to a girl. But to my point can anyone tell me were I can get a GPS tracking chips for my cellphone; I am tiered of having lose all my info and pics to imbeciles and having to start all over! please can anyone help me…
Hi Mike.A,
A lot of cell phones already have a GPS tracking chip installed in them, at least here in the United States. So what I would do first is find out if your phone already is GPS capable. You can do this by searching you cell phone in Google or some similar search engine with the word “GPS” after or before it. If your phone is already GPS capable then all it will take is installing some GPS tracking software and you should be good to go.
All you will need is for the criminals to keep your cell phone on and the tracking program will lead you right to them as long as the phone remains on and in service.
-Joe
i would like to know more about this small chip
Hi Ike,
For more information I would recommend contact the manufacturer of this GPS tracking chip directly.
-Joe
Hi y’all, I’m from Kentucky.
Joe, thank you for an intriguing article! While noting that the following is an off-topic subject, I must address it:
Imperial verses Metric
Our monetary system in the USA is base 10: 100 pennies to one dollar. Mathematical computations around the world are the same. The only real difference between the imperial and metric system is in how measurements are determined, such as weight, distance, volume, and temperature. To understand this difference, take a look at these two identical questions…
1) What is .037 quarts in ounces? Answer: 1.184 ounces. Try measuring that with titration.
2)What is .037 liters? Answer: 37 milliliters, simply move the decimal point.
In short, the metric system is the standardized way for the global scientific and medical communities to stay on the same page. Now if you will excuse me, I’m a gonna climb up to the top of that yonder cliff, and pick me a mess (two or so pints) of blueberries!
Where can i buy a few for my l;aptop cell phone and ipods
if you know email me at javiflorpez@yahoo.com
I want this chip to monitor my laptops & computers. I’ve just lost 28 computers in june eithout a trace can you help me
Hi, I have application ideas for your GPS -chip, if we would need 3pcs, 5 pcs or 10 pcs to do product prototyping… how can we would with you? I am a Singaporean young entrepreneur… creative, innovative, enterprising, risk-taker…
Zen
Die from chip implant? You realize we already implant medical devices like PACEMAKERS in people? Some folks are so ignorant… go read your bible and ask for advice when your child comes up lost… idiots…
this sux they don’t just have a program on here u down load to your computer so all u need is the cell number of who your looking for for EXAMPLE I LOST MY PHONE AND ITS FULLY CHARGED FOR NOW but it wont be by the time i find something to help me if anyone has any suggestions drop my a E-mail irishmandan815 @ aim . com
dear,
I just want to know how i can buy and use this chip. kindly tell me the price.
thanks
Not too sure about implanting that into my children, but a watch or ankle bracelet would be just fine with me. Just in the event my 2 or 6 year old ever are lost or stolen.
Hi DonDon,
Yeah, I don’t think I would put a tracking chip inside my child either. There simply is no reason for it. But I think that this might be the road that governments will take the technology down in the future if they can overcome the power supply issue.
-Joe
Never putting one of those in my skin or my kids skin, if you seriously think youd need a GPS unit in/on your kid to keep track of them dont bother having kids, if you have kids now, and you lose them often enough to need to lo jack them you should find the nearest orphanage and give them up because you fail at parenting. As far as pets go, i wouldnt put anything in my pets skin i wouldnt want in mine (yes that includes little GPS trackers) If pets leave you its a sign you didnt train them propperly, or abused them, and in most cases pets return to the place they consider home, hunting dogs should be propperly trained before ever stepping paw in the woods they should know the commands Come, and Stay, and should follow them.
Matt,
Of course you wouldn’t think that is a good idea to have it in your child. I am sure you would change your mind if you were in a situation like my wife and myself where our 15 yr old went out 3 years ago with a friend and never came home because somebody took her. We were only called to identify her body 2 years later after a pimp killed her. Justice will never be enough.
Hi! I need one of those to put in my dog… Were can I find it?
Hi Mafalda,
I don’t think there are any chip that you can put in your dog that would be a real GPS tracking chip. There are RFID chips that you can place under the skin of your dog that contains information about them such your address and vet information, but these are definitely not GPS tracking chips. They are just tracking chips. 🙂
If you are are interested in real GPS pet tracking systems then you should check out the article in the link.
– Joe
Hy i’m from Roumania (Europe) and i must first excuse myself for my bad english. I’m interesed of this chip for making myself an dispositiv (a ring attached on leg) for tracking my pigeons that will participe on fly concurses . When i say fly concurse…for the one than don’t know what it means…the pigeon are taked put in to a car and free them at one distance(50-100-1000 km) and they must return home…..and here is the problem…not all of them are return home and i wanna see where they are….or in time of curse from home i wanna check them if they are far away from home.
I hope i made myself understude. if u finde something and think that will help me on my prodject i’l be verry gratitude.
Thanx for ridding my post.
Hi Nicusan,
Good luck on finding something to help you out. I am not too certain what you can do here since pigeons are really small animals. You might want to look in something akin to a wildlife tracker that you read in the news about some scientist attaching to a rhino or a bird of prey – but I don’t think these are true GPS tracking devices, at least not of the variety that you are looking for.
If you find anything, please let me know. I would be really interested in finding out more about it with you.
-Joe
hello im am interested in purchasing a gps chip for my jewerly can u point me in the right direction ? thnk u
Hi Josh,
A GPS tracking device is definitely going to be too bulky for a piece of jewelry. What you might have more luck with is tracking the jewelry case with GPS or using RFID chips. I am not sure exactly how the second would work, but the basic premise is that the RFID chip broadcast a unique radio signature that specializeddevices can pick up on. I’m not sure what the range on these devices is going to be, but I don’t think it is going to be far.
– Joe
I am searching for a tipe of solution where you could have a home gps system, so you could have small devices to put into your keys, glasses, celular phones, wallet, gloves,luggage , handbags, children, adults, or whatever you want to find, that have the control system into your BBerry or cell phone, wonderfull if it could be charged with solar energy, just to make simple your everyday life.I havent been lucky in my search.
If any one could help me, i would be very glad.Spreccialy for the houndreds of hours we could dedicate to more interesting things other than looking for lost things.
My best regards
Antonieta
where can i buy this chip? and how much the cost will be?
Hi,
This is of my business intrest where in the quantity will be very very huge. I want to talk to some one please mail me the contact details ASAP
I agree wit joe, i dont think if this chip ever exist but if it exist then they are selling it back door to other Gps manufactures…
Hell,I have read good site today which have a lot of future technology about chip trim,and I like to ask ,what material involve inside a chip?Thanks.
Hi Salum,
I assume GPS chips are made out of the same material that all computer chips are made of. But I could be wrong.
– Joe
hey just searching for a gps chip small enough to inserted into a small tool ie. screwdriver, utility knife as we are trying to trap a thief in our workshop……. any help would be muchly appreciated
Hey Steve,
I’m not sure that anything that small is around just yet. You may have more success with RFID or some other form of tracking. You also might want to consider putting the tracker in something larger – like a tool box. This, however, will only work if they take the whole tool box and not just a single small tool.
Sorry to hear about having a thief in your shop. That can never be fun.
-Joe
You could always use the technology of the flashlights that u shake if we could place the system in a shell every time the dog moves it would supply power which means that it would always work concidering the fact that the animal breathes there for it would always be moving and never not have power
Hey Nick,
That is a pretty cool idea. I’m not sure if that would supply enough power to make everything work, but a great idea none the less.
– Joe
How much would this small chip go for?
the technology world and i are uncommon friends. if i wanted to make something using this chip, would i need a power source? i want to make something for my children who like to hide and runaway but i need to make it unique to them. also there is no prices….does anyone one know? what kind of special kind of technology trained person i should talk to (like at a university or organizations)? like i said i don’t know the tech world. thank-you to anyone who can help me out.
Hi Carrie,
I have no experience making my own GPS tracking device from a chip, so I cannot help you there. My first thought is that it might be difficult for someone who is not very familiar with things in the tech world. With that said, finding someone at a University to see if they would like to help you create something is a good idea. Find out if your local school has someone in the GIS (geographic information system) Department would might be willing to take up your cause. They might be able to help you come up with a tracking device design – but then they might have to pass off the actual creation to someone else.
You may also want to take a look at some of the already existing devices to see if any of them might meet your needs. A good one for children is the Amber Alert GPS – but this is usually best for a child that actually listens to their parents since it needs to be recharged frequently.
Another thing that you have to consider is that the device is going to have to work over a cell phone network. You might just want to track the child’s cell phone if they have one. Free tracking programs can be found here: Free GPS Cell Phone Tracking
– Joe
I’m researching for miniature devices small enough to install in wristwatches, toys, key holders, or sewn into clothing, the spate of kidnappings is alarming in my part of the world with toddlers as young as 10 months not spared
Hi Tunde,
I would hate to be in a country where there has been a rash of kidnappings and child abductions – mainly because it would make me sick to my stomach and very fearful that my own children could be taken from me. I could only imagine the sheer terror of realizing that your child is gone, having been taken by someone with less that noble intentions.
As to your question, I think that there are some devices that already exist that use the type of technology that you are looking for. For example, there are already GPS tracking watches out there that will communicate the position of a child in real time. The real question is whehter or not you live in a country that supports this type of device. If you live in Western Europe or the United States then there are probably options for you, but if you live in other countries of the world then you may be forced to develop your own solution.
Developing your own tracking product is certainly not easy. You will have to not only develop a small, compact tracking device – which is extremely hard and has not been (truly) succesfully done in either the US or Europe. After you develop the product you need to find a way to make it work on the cellular network or communication satellite array of the country or region you want it to operate in. These are difficult tasks and will add bulk to your device.
In the end, if you can do it well you will make a lot of money and end up keeping a lot of people safe. Good luck to you!
– Joe
Hello!
Very interesting article.
Please forgive me if my question seems extremely ignorant (I must admit I’m not a techie), but how are GPS chips powered? For example if such a small chip were implanted somewhere, how is it supplied with power to help it emit coordinates?
Also, I’m curious to know what the price range would be.
Thanks!
greetings from Vancouver, Canada
Michel
Hi Michel,
I think you are right on for wanting to know how such small GPS chips are powered. The main that these chips receive power and are able to work is by incorporating them into another piece of electronics. Cell phones are an example that comes immediately to mind. Another way is to create a system that gives the chip everything that it needs to work properly on its own. This is essentially creating your very own GPS device.
In order to make it a GPS tracking chip you are going to have to include someway for the position information gathered by the powered chip broadcast from the device. This usually involves a cell phone modem, but it can also include communication satellites.
I don’t think I need to get into this too much, but the fact is that just implanting a chip like the one referenced in the article is really going to work with tracking people or animals. The communication and the power problems have not been addressed and I don’t think they will be anytime soon.
-Joe
the ‘gps’ aka mark of the beast will be powered by the heat from your body, the two most likely places are the right hand or the head. A capacitor that is recharged using the heat from your body as a powersource. This is far from new technology but here lately it is gaining more headlines. These implants are available and are in use now just not on a widespread basis. They will be used to track and locate people as well as storage of medical and financial information and will also be used as a credit card would when we change over to a cashless society. As of right now I have no idea what the price range would be.
hi kyle. you wrote this post 1 year ago. but i am interested in gps locators mainly as theft recovery. would like to know any names of companies involved with the gps your talking about or your thoughts on this technology. i want to distribute these products..thanks bob
I like the idea about charging a battery with movement too. It’s like the Seiko Kinetic watches. I believe those don’t store the energy chemically but mechanically. (springs instead of batteries)
Hi Rob,
Those Seiko Kinetic watches are pretty cool. It would be interesting to see what type of power output the watch actually requires compared to something like a Garmin Forerunner (which just does passive data logging). I bet we might be surprised at just how little power it takes to run a watch.
With that said, the Seiko Kinetic Direct Drive technology seems really cool. All it takes is 30 seconds of twisting to make your watch work for approximately 6 hours. That means that you need to twist the watch about 2 minutes for every day of use. This really isn’t that bad – and would be great for a tracking device. I just think that the amount of time required to twist the tracker would be somewhere in the range of an hour for 6 hours of use, which is quite a lot!
– Joe
I am looking for some gps to trakcing the returnable packaging. Could you please advice?
Thank you.
Joe,
First of all, this is very awesome small tracking chip that I was surfing around here! I’m not a techie guy but according to your comment on Tunde’s comment, so my question is: I’m not sure if this chip can even work if I track (tracking from here in the United States) on my loved ones or my closest friends if they travel anywhere in a very remote countries, thousands of miles away from the United States like United Kingdom, China, South Africa or even any unfamiliar areas or uncertain locations. I wondered what if any person could get lost or get trapped in a desert or something and cannot be found or vice versa? I can’t imagine someone could end up like the movie “127 Hours” if we all do not have Rakon’s baby chips! I know I had read Tunde and yours on here about this topic but will it work or what? I’m very interested and curious about this. Anyway, this is way so cool chip ever produced! True, I agree that this is ridiculously small, incredible!!! I sure hope that the company, Rakon, will as well make business partners with other countries like the U.S. (or did they?) so we all people in the world can be more safe than ever! 🙂 Thanks!
-Thunder75
Hi Thunder75,
The GPS tracking chip is going to work anywhere in the world. Its main function in any tracking device is going to be interpreting the signals a tracking device is receiving from the GPS satellites in orbit around the earth. So the chip is pretty much going to be used by anyone willing to us Rakon’s chip.
The main sticking point for trackers is their ability to communicate the information gathered by the GPS chip. This communication must be done over existing communication networks – cell phone networks or commericial communication satellites. This is the part of any tracker that is not going to be as universal as the chip that companies like Rakon makes. Cell phone networks are particularly finicky. For example, most cell phones used in the United States do not work in Europe without changing the SIM card on the device. Also, tracking companies would need to make deals with these carriers in order to use their networks for the purpose of communicating the tracking data over the air.
The second option is to use a communication satellites. One tracking device that uses this the Spot Satellite Messenger. This device works all over the world and is great for people who could be in many different places under a wide range of circumstances. It would have been extremely useful for some in a “127 Hours” situation!
I hope that clears things up. Thanks for the great question.
-Joe
Is there a chip that can be implanted into the human body, but does not become active unless it is turned on? This chip would only be used in an emergency, and could only be activated by the parents of that child holding a code to that chip only. This chip would have to have a fail safe system in it to insure that it can not be removed without permission of the parents, say when the child is 18 years old. If someone was to try to remove it without parental permission, the chip would become active. By not being active all the time, the big brother syndrum would not be a question. This would just be peace of mind for parents.
Hi Bruce,
I do not beleive that something like this is currently possible. There are people who do think that this technology is currently being used by governments and (other) crime syndicates in other places around the world. Some of them have left comments on this post:
Government GPS Tracking Implants: The Bad and The Ugly
My opinion is that this is something that only exists in the scifi world at present.
-Joe
Hi, do you know where can I buy it .
Hi Carlo,
You can contact Rakon directly if you wish to purchase the chip from them. They might only work with manufacturers so a one off sale might not be what they are looking for.
– Joe
Solar power seems to work just fine, doesn’t it? No battery necessary. You just wouldn’t be able to track your pets unless the sun is out; not the much of an issue.
Hey Me,
I am sure solar power could be a great option – I’m just not sure that it would be a very practical option at this point in solar power’s development. For example, you will probably have a good bit of real estate covered by solar pannels to get it to work how you might like.
I’m certainly not saying that it will never work, just that it doesn’t seem like solar power would work right now for this.
– Joe
Would you know of any types of gps trackers that would be able to fit inside an arrow shaft that’s self sustaining?
Hi Jamie,
I don’t know of any tracker that would fit that description. Sorry.
– Joe
hi , is it posible to put the chip in something that can be put around the neck of a animal with a battery seport . i know that it cant be small as we would like to be . but the gotek 7 is small and we are cheking if we can use this to track animals. regardts
Hi carlo,
Yes, you can put a small tracking device on a dogs collar and then track them. There are already several different devices on the market that do just that. Here is a link to some of the different GPS pet tracking systems out there.
– Joe
can someone please inform me of the price of these chips
What do these chips cost?
Hey there
I’m currently living in South Africa and am planning on travelling to the States pretty soon.. Because I am a young female travelling by myself, I’d like to know if there is any chip that can be implanted available that could send my location to my family per say if for some reason something went wrong and I went missing? Or if there is an alternative method I could resort to? I’m doing it purely for safety reasons… I’m sure you’d understand you can never be too careful, especially when it comes to someone’s child…
Regards
Hi Angelica,
There are several different ways you could do something like that. The first and most obvious would be to use your cell phone as a GPS tracking device. This can be done relatively easily by downloading a GPS tracking app and sharing the information with your parents. You will probably already be carrying your cell phone around with you anyway and a lot of tracking apps are already free.
Another option is to buy a GPS tracker. This is going to cost you a few hundred dollars and will be another device that you will have to carry around with you. That might be what you want to do, but I certainly wouldn’t choose it myself. Some of these trackers do have an “emergency” button you can press (SPOT Satellite Messenger and the AmberAlert GPS) in case things don’t go your way. This emergency button will certainly let your parents know you are in danger, but that won’t necessarily let the police know your danger.
Personally, I’d go with the cell phone option. Its much cheaper and will work pretty well.
– Joe
Hi I wanted to know how the tiny chip works does it send a signal back to a reciveing device? Also whats the smallest one they make right now? Do they have them as small as the one in the picture? If you would could you email me some information on this technology to [email redacted] Thank you for your time
Can you please give me the names of micro GPS producers.
Thanks a lot
Hi I want to know if there are relatively cheap micro tracking chips that could be implanted into my pet African Spur-thigh Tortoise? They are very large and rugged, so collars and bracelets and etc… won’t fit on them. I need something that can be tracked within say a 15 meter to 100 meter zone. Any ideas?
Hi Joe!
I wanted to know if these chips are already in use in Russia.
At our farm we have a problem with the locals stealing our cows and selling them to the butcher. We know who, how, and where is doing it but we have no proof. A chip such as this would definitely be a life saver if we could track the stolen cows to the butcher, we can prove that the men that bring them stole the animals from us.
So that’s my story…. any help? If you happen to know the distributor, it would be a big help:)
Hey, I was wondering what the smallest chip you all have. How much it cost and does it report back to a cellphone device or not. Please email me bakx as soon as you can. Thank-you.
Hey zp,
I don’t sell any GPS chips. Chip manufacturers sell those chips to other companies who use them to make GPS devices.
– Joe
It would be cool if you had a little extra space and could hook up one of those cogs they have in rolex watches that wind up the watch every time you move it… I mean if they can fit it in a watch with all the other doohickies that are in rolex’s the rewinding mechanism can’t be that big. This could be really helpful in the dog and toddler situations cause they both move alot.
Anyways I want to put a tracking chip in a MacBook air, so this tiny chip cOught my attention. Anyways is there a way I could wire it to the laptop battery so it could charge itself off of that? Any ideas?
Thanks
Hey Ian,
I haven’t really looked into laptop tracking. In fact, I never really even thought of it much. Maybe I should!
I’ll try and figure it out and include a post about it here in the near future.
As to your question about powering the watch via a cog and movement, I don’t think the power output of something like that would be great enough to power a tracking device. My understanding that GPS trackers need power comparable to something like a smartphone. I know I wish I didn’t have to charge my phone everyday!
– Joe
hi Joe,
am really interested in knowing how much the chip costs????
Hi Brio,
I would recommend contacting the manufacturer (Rakon) directly if you would like to know the price.
– Joe
So is there a chip I can invest in for my dog, if she gets stolen? Can locate her whereabouts if she she goes missing? There has been a lot of dog theft going on lately.
For a possible power source for these pet tracking chips, how about the same power source used in a PaceMaker, they are supposed to last 10 years.
Hi Paul,
The could work. From some of the things I read on the internet is seems like an artificial heart costs around $10,000. I’m not sure how much of the cost is the power supply, but even if its just a 1/10 of the price that would be a very expensive GPS tracker.
– Joe
Hi would this product be robust enough to be used in textiles such as marquees, tarpaulins boat sails, i am looking for a way to track these items whilst out on hire on building sites at sea etc, it would need to be able to take a desent knock and be water proof, is there a product out there for this. thanks
Hi,
I’m very glad to know that the GPS chip is now that small because I invented this idea a few years ago where this technology would be used in a specific place where it could make all child kidnapping a thing of the past, the way it’s going to be used. By the way, Bruce Miller, i think we’re running on the same wavelength, what you said will happen in the future, everything I already saw the vision of already has come true, and this one will too.
im looking for something for my raft. i can waterproof it. is this what im looking for or not
Hi Branden,
Are you talking about something for your raft while you use it? Or something for your raft to make sure it doesn’t get stolen?
For the former I recommend the Spot GPS Satellite Tracker. For the later I don’t really have any experience or recommendation.
– Joe
Hey Joe,
You said this chip works for finding dogs right. Well is there anyway you could tell me if my aunts dog may have it. See his name is Jack and we have had him for two years now and he’s the kind of pet that you talk about getting rid of cause he snacking on your shoe or behind your back stealing your sandwich ( i would say one of his favorite things to do with me). But at the end of the night you never want to lose cause he makes everyday new and exciting! Well this morning my uncle let him out on his leash and some how he got off of it and now we can’t find him. Im so worried that we may never find him. But I over heard my aunt talking about some chip in his neck that he got when he was a baby pup because he’s a pure breed, but she doesn’t know if it’s active? So is it possible my Jack has some device in him that could help me and if so how do I use it?
Hi Amanda,
That is probably an RFID chip – which is not GPS a tracking chip. RFID is simply a digital ID tag that is implanted in the dog. It will identify the dog to the authorities and have info on it like the dogs name and the name of the owner, but it will not allow you to track the movement of your dog.
I hope you find him. Pets really do become part of the family and it sucks when they are gone.
– Joe
GPS chips rarely work indoors, unless you live in a paper house, the satellite signals, which are microwave, get masked and reflected to much by walls.
The receiver rating on the rakon chip is decent but not in excess of many other chips, so forget about indoor.
Bill,
You are exactly right. A lot of GPS tracking devices use assisted GPS that works with cell phone technology to help get a better understanding of your location when you are indoors.
– Joe
I’m just wondering when this thing will be on the market for normal everyday people to buy, and roughly how much will it cost? I have the idea to put something like this in a normal looking dog coller, so if a pedigree dog gets stolen from the back yard, you can find it by phone or laptop. A normal looking GPS dog coller will be cut off and thrown in a hedge the moment the dog is out of view from the house. These things do happen, as unfortunatly, so does child obduction.
Any feedback will be greatfuly recieved, thanks
Hi Leanne,
A normal looking collar is certainly the way to go. The only problem with it is giving it a power supply, a cell phone modem, and durability. That will be pretty hard to bundle into a dog collar that wouldn’t be much larger than normal. The only thing that I can think of to maybe compare it to would be one of those shocking collars that will zap a dog if i barks or goes outside of its invisible fence. A little on the bulky side.
– Joe
joe,
saw a cool vid using thermoelectric modules to light up some led’s via seebeck effect with body temp as heat source (the dudes hand).
tem’s as power supply for animals seems possible and they can be way small with no batteries.
fshegg
Hey Steven,
I agree. They just haven’t made it yet. Or they haven’t made it yet for mass consumption.
– Joe
I NOTICED THAT YOU WILL NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS REFERING TO ANIMALS (PETS) GETTING CHIPPED. YOU MAY NOT ANSWER THIS ONE EITHER BUT IT IS A GROWING CONCERN IN ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES WITH ALL THE THEFTS OF DOG. IF YOU COULD PLEASE RESPONE TO OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT ANIMAL GPS CHIPS. WE KNOW THAT YOUR FOCUS IS OVIOUSLY GPS FOR ELECTRONICS BUT THESE ANIMALS WE LOVE. JUST DIRECT US IF YOU DON’T KNOW TO SOMEONE WHO CAN. THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.
Hi John,
I have answered that question several times in the comments, but I do understand that it is difficult to read through the 100+ comments on this post, especially since I have set the site not to display all the comments at the end of each article. The short answer is no, there is no GPS tracking chip that you can just insert under the skin of an animal that will continuously feed you information about your pets location. There are things that you can attach to the colar of an animal that will let you track them for a certain period of time.
You can find some of these types of tracking devices here: Pet GPS Tracking systems
– Joe
Joe,
I have a really cool invention, i’ve been working on and i would like to team up with your company, to make it happen in the U.S.
Hi Travis,
This is just an informational site. I don’t actually sell tracking chips or work with companies that do. Sorry.
– Joe
Very interesting. So, does the GPS chip have to work 24/7? Can the chip be triggered to turn on for only say a set time or when motion is detected? In terms of power, how much is needed to keep it going continuously?
Hi Kiet,
There area lot of products out there that work with the “geo-fence” idea that you mentioned. It is used a lot in pet tracking devices, but has also made its way into teen and child tracking devices.
The motion detection idea is mostly used in asset recovery tracking devices. These devices are attached discretely on a trailer or piece of equipment so that when they move they become active. It is also a part of the GT-600 GPS data logger, which is a sport tracking device. They both do it for the same reason though – to save battery power.
– Joe
So where can we buy this? I really plan to get this to put on my dog. As you know if the gps tracking device is big, some one who stolen my dog will just remove the gps tacking system.
Hey Barbie,
The only way you will be able to use a chip like this is to buy it in a tracking device that you put on your dogs collar. The chip by itself won’t do you any good because it has to be combined with other stuff for it to actually work to track your animal.
– Joe
I was wondering if these chips would be installable in, say, a guitar, or guitar amplifier. In case my home were ever broken into.
Hey Randy,
You might be able to install something in the case for the guitar, but I don’t think you could put anything IN the guitar that would escape detection.
– Joe
Could this chip be powered by the Faraday Principle of Electromagnetic Energy ( therefore eliminating the need for batteries. that if an electric conductor, like copper wire, is moved through a magnetic field, electric current will be generated and flow into the conductor.)? Based off the concept of the forever flashlight but miniaturized to the same size as to the chip would this be possible and would it create enough energy as to power the chip. The reason for this question is I would like to install the chip and power source inside the butt sleeve of a pool cue so as when shooting the arm moves back and forth hundreds of times hopefully in the process charging the chip. the cues get put into a case and stored if stolen the movement of the case and cues would continue to charge the chip when realized by the owner of the stolen property could then remotely activate the chip by computer or cell phone as to then trace the where about’s of the product I like many pool players have had cues stolen which can range from a hundred dollars to thousand of dollars, if the cues where in your car when stolen are often not cover by insurance. my hopes are to either see if this device exist or could be even possible.
Hi Edward,
That certainly sounds like an idea. I don’t have a electrical engineering background so I am not too sure how plausible this is. It sounds like a great experiment for a college or university though! Thanks for stopping by.
– Joe
without antenna this small chip cannot emit signals and can not be traced by orbit satellites and another big drawback is lack of power…it is not auto rechargeble……………..///
They need a gps chip for wallets
Hi Joe,
I am really interested in getting a gps based tracking device for animals available to the mass public…do you have any idea who I could speak with about developing and producing this technology? Or how to begin researching and developing this product?
Thanks
Cathy
Hi Cathy,
Sorry, I don’t. There are some products already on the market for consumer consumption, so you might want to start by looking at those. I have written about a few of them here: GPS Pet Tracking Systems
– Joe
Hello Joe,
I work for an architecture firm and we are looking for something that will act like a small chip GPS system to help us track expensive architectural models that get shipped and occasionally lost in an airport…..delaying the presentations with the client. Any ideas? Also, I am working on a way to archive all of our models and important presentation materials and was thinking there must be something out there like a data strip or UPC code that you can scan with your iPhone and all of the data about that building will show up. Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Katherine
Hi Katherine,
There are a few different options that you could look into for something like that ,it just depends on how large the object is that you need to track and how long you want to track it for. The longer you need it to work the larger the tracker is going to become. You could also potentially run into some trouble with airport security for having the tracking device on it – but I’m not sure the specific rules for that. Brickhouse Security has something that costs $600 and runs about $30 a month for the smallest plan. Its called
P-Trac Pro GPS+ Tracking Device .
You might also be able to just get a bunch of cheap throw away phones and install something like InstaMapper on them. This might be cheaper in the long run, but probably won’t get you very far inside buildings.
Your other question could find an answer in QR codes. Simply link the code to a webpage with all the data about the model and your problem is solved.
– Joe
I would like to know how much these chips cost and what keeps them charged and what kind of signal the receive. I have a great idea for them and would to purchase one.
I have a few ideas on tracking for a few items. Is there someone i can contact to discuss? Thanks, Dennis
I will like to know the prise of the chip.
hey can you ues this for dogs. all typs of dogs
I would like to know whereabouts of spouse. will this work if i place it somewhere in the vehicle. How much is the chip and how much is the plan to track?
Hi all
microchip tracking
I need to know who sells this microchip technology in South Africa.??Possible cost??
Thanks
Cor
Hello,
I was wondering if there are any companies making GPS tracking chips for laptops? (I already know of Prey and Lowjack but they are software, I was thinking of physical chips to put inside a laptop
Thank you
what would it take to put your smallest tracking chip in a bracelet and what would be the cost if purchased in 10,000 increments (stainless steel)
i would like to know if it is really possable to put one of these GPS tracking chips on an animal? if so… is it safe, how much would the chip cost, and what other info can ypu provide me with at this time? My dog was stolen from my mothers house while people where at home. Even though he has a microchip that does not help me with tracking his movements. I have faith that he will be found one way or another and when I do get him back I would like to GPS him so that if this where to ever happen again I can find him asap rather then stressing myself out with this. Please send me an email with all the info you can possable give me about this GPS chiping devise so that I can lock and load him up with a 24/7 servalince. Thank you…Carina Salas
Hi Carina,
You don’t actually put the chip on the pet, but you place a tracking device on the pet. This tracking device has the chip in it and helps you track your pet.
Someone else has asked if a GPS tracking device is safe for their pet. In my research I found this article helpful: WHAT LEVELS ARE SAFE FOR EXPOSURE TO RF ENERGY?. In it you will find the following quote:
Most pet trackers are going to comply with this standard, but they don’t necessarily have to. You will want to check each tracker out to see what they specifically do.
Here are a few places to start:
The prices listed on these links pretty much only cover the device itself (around $100). You will also have to pay a monthly subscription for running the device.
I hope that helps.
– Joe
hi am looking to purchase a microchip to fit into a pill bottle an i wana track the movement of this bottle via my lap top or my note book can u assist me
You had me, right up to the part where you got insulting about the imperial measuring system.
Then I quit reading.
Hi Bill,
I did not mean to be insulting. I’m sorry for that. I was trying to be tongue-in-check funny. I’ve updated the paragraph to try and make this a little more clear.
But in general, the metric system really is better. Here is a video that explains it all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu_illAgCPg
– Joe
I keep having these bad dreams about my beautiful little girl being abducted. I was on here looking to see if there was anything like the cross on bodyguard that Whitney could use if she was in trouble. So far I haven’t found anything. I think these small chips could be our future. A child is lost or abducted every 40 seconds and it would be incredible if we could find a device in the future that is safe and reliable to locate our children if taken or lost. Anyone who has children knows how easily small children can disappear and it would be nice to have the reasurance in the future that we will always find them. I don’t know about the microphone or the possibility of putting these devices in adults, that seems overboard and takes away a sence of freedom but if there is a safe method to track our children in the future I would consider it.
Hi Nette111,
There are some tracking devices designed specifically for children. One is the AmberAlert GPS. There are a few others on the market and I suspect that more will come out as the years go on.
– Joe
Now present u in impa of traced chipe in any cases in mobile phoner etc used of many cases
Hey Joe,
It’s nice to see that you are still responding to comments on such an “old” post, in terms of advancements in the technology sector. I too am interested in this micro GPS technology for a business venture I wish to embark in. I’m really looking for a technical answer if you could, Say I could get a hold of a batch of similar micro GPS chips, how would “you” go about constructing a very simple GPS transponder. The best example I can think up is the Microsoft GPS device used in conjunction with a laptop and “streets and trips”. My idea is, of course, for tracking a small object about the size of the modern smart phone but it must be inlay-ed in the exterior of the object as the interior is used to transport valuable and personal information.
The other option I see is to use sensitive RF chips, but I’m concerned about RF exposure over long periods of time. Plus the down side is of course they must be near a device that can read and transmit this information passively, i.e. If stolen, this device would have to pass by a reader that would automatically send the information to the end user using the infrastructure already in place. Is this even a possibility?
If you have any advice or questions email me.
Thanks in advance,
~Wes
Do they make gps tracking chips that you can insert in cabon arrows for hunting ?
Hi Beeman,
Not that I know of. It would probably take a long time for finding a power source that small and even longer before it would make it to the carbon arrow market. It should would help hunters find game they got though.
– Joe
Ive Been reading the majority of these comments dating back to 2010…I can’t help but laugh at all the people who would want to use this chip for laptops, jewelry even tools!!…..lol some people get it though, this technology could eventually help track people and make missing people/children a thing of the past.obvously the people on here talking about them never putting a chip in their children have never thought of the possibility of abduction! Has nothing to do with parenting, people!…lol Thanks for the article!!! Hope the power source issue gets solved soon!
Hi Luis,
It really seems like they are working on it. A recent watch released by Epson uses GPS to help determine what timezone you are in and is completely solar powered. While reading where you are once a day is much different from GPS tracking the power saving technology is certainly moving in the right direction.
You can read more about it here Epson Annouces Seiko Astron, Time Keeping Watch Powered By GPS
– Joe
Aliens already have much smaller chips 😉
Word trax. Word.
– Joe
Joe,
I’ve tried to find Rakon, are they still in Existence?
Thanks,
Sandra
Hi Sandr,
A Google search showed this as my first result: http://www.rakon.com/Pages/Default.aspx
They appear to be the chip making Rakon that the post references.
– Joe
I have three children and a parents worst nightmare is regularly shown on tv, a child is abducted. What good does GPS do in a phone or backpack or even in a childs pocket, animals that take children are smarter than to let that stuff stay. I would put a chip in each child and gladly pay whatever the cost. They can remove it when they’re 18 but until then they are my responsibilty and I should do everything in my power to keep them safe.
want to know about chips that can be use on human been that can be track at any time pls very inportant for me let me know thanks.
I am looking for a small chip where as I can inbed it into tools which I keep having stolen. I would like to catch the person that keeps stealing my tools and equipment. I would like the chip top send a signal where it is so that I can recover my tools or equipment. Please help me!!!
Thank You,
Brian Carl
This is so frustrating. I have been watching this company for a long time. It seems everyone is using these chips in their products, but how can we buy and utilize these chips ourselves? Also how come their stock keeps going down? I want this company to be successful. So hopefully the Rakon will get back ahold of me this time? I am willing to buy 100 shares of stock right now on good faith, but I have to believe that they are going to move forward.
Looks like the last comment was in August from what I can see. Anyone know where someone could purchase one of these? Is there a way to remove one from a phone and use it for something else?
Can I use tile to keep track of my dog ,? I have over 10k invested n my dog so I wanna know where they r at all time !
I’m interested in your gps chips, can,you send me the price listing for them thank you.
Can you tell me where I can find any GPS tracking device for animals not domestic. For example horses, cattle etc…
Thank you
how is tracking chip power? What kind of power source can it used.. example Solar or battery… can you used your cell phone to track the chip? How does it do the tracking? if you buy the tracking chip dose the tracking soft wear come with it? What is the extreme weather condition does that chip stop working? Can you used a magnet with it?
could this chip be placed in a wooden gun stock and still be located