Just what the doctor ordered...

Minuscule RFID chips – some less than half a millimeter in size – are being used to track and monitor surgical implant devices to ensure that there are no unnecessary complications during surgical procedures.

Right now we have human beings doing a check of what should be in each tray as compared to what physically is in each tray, and they can make mistakes...I don't want the surgeon to discover the mistake when he is in the middle of the operation and not have the appropriate instrumentation to put in the implant.

Melbourne-based company Mems-ID is developing a type of radio frequency identification tag that could result in surgeons never having to worry about receiving the wrong tools prior to an operation.