[grobdriver]

The chips, which function as itty bitty radio transmitters will be inserted when the clothes are made and will remain intact throughout the life of the garment

For a transmitter, no matter the size, that's a hell of a battery!

[Ramius]

I would doubt that there's any power to it at all. More likely just a little "reflector" that has a coded surface that bounces a certain signal back in a unique way, making it a number.

Sort of like the "electronic" key cards for office buildings. They are powered, they just bounce a signal back in a way that makes each card unique.

[Jonah Hex]

For a transmitter, no matter the size, that's a hell of a battery!

It uses microwave energy beamed down from orbital mind-control satellites contolled by the Illuminati.

Better replace the tin-foil hat with a Reynolds Wrap sombrero!!

[tje]

There is no battery. The devices are passive. They have to be in a particular RF field to actually operate..

[Smedley]

For a transmitter, no matter the size, that's a hell of a battery!

There is no battery needed. Some RFID systems use magnetic or electromagnetic signals as their power source.

[jt8d]

Thermo-electrics - lithium battery recharged through differential temperature gradients to produce electrical charges. This concept, developed by Digital Angel corporation, is what gives implantable chips their lifetime operational cycle. (BTW the two most prominant locations in the human body where rapid temperature gradients occur frequently are the forehead and back of the wrist.)

I think it reasonable to assert that the technology can be adapted to operate on temperature differentials that exist outside the body, such as would occur under ambient conditions. Considering that these devices, if lying close to the skin, as would be the case in under-clothing, but being simultaneously exposed to relativly cooler ambient temperatures, would experience very high temperature gradients.