RFID Tags - Smart Idea or Invasion of Privacy?

Imagine living in a world where you could be track by the pair of shoes that you just purchased at Wal-Mart or by a sweater that you just purchased at the Gap. Without your knowledge, the product you purchased just might be carrying a chip the size of a flake of pepper. These chips are known as RFID (Radio Frequency Identity Chips) and they could be heading to a supermarket near you.

RFID, is a controversial technology that uses tiny microchips to track items from a distance. These chips have been given the name "spy chips" as each of these chips contain a unique identification number. It allows for things such as a Social Insurance number to be read silently and undetected by radio waves. These chips can be placed just about anywhere. From clothing tags to missiles and to pet tags to the food that we eat, anywhere that a unique identification system is needed or required. Essentially, these tags can carry simple information such as a pet owners name and address or the cleaning instructions on a sweater.

RFID, tags on the whole, are a very useful and from a technology point of view, a very intriguing idea. These tags allow retailers to reduce inventory as well as reducing the number of thefts. They are also very useful in automobile assembly plants. They are used to move cars through an assembly line and at each stage of production the RFID tag tells the computer what the next stage of production should be.

In theory these chips are a great idea, but as consumers we have a right to know whether or not the item that we have just purchased has a RFID tag. Retailers need to provide the consumer with information that the product that they just purchased contains one of these RFID tags. Once the product leaves the store product is no longer a part of the inventory and therefore the RFID tag should somehow be disabled. One could only imagine the danger these tags presented if they were to stay active once they left the store. The individual who just purchased that product could potentially be tracked to their home and it is at this point that a persons privacy becomes the main issue. Sure these tags are a great idea but where do we draw the line between efficiency and someone's privacy.

The RFID tags at this point are not ready for mass consumer production and at present are not on many of the products that we purchase. There are companies however that would like to start using these chips in the near future. If companies are going to use these tags to keep track of their products, they should be placed in plain site of the consumer so that they know exactly what they are looking at. Companies should also consider putting these tags on the packaging of the product rather than the product itself. Be sure to check out the "Hot Tips" section for just a few of the companies that are listed as sponsors the RFID technology.

There is no doubt that the face of technology is constantly changing. We have a world of information at our fingertips that we didn't have 10 to 20 years ago. These RFID tags are all well and good, however, when our privacy is put into question, we really need to sit back and take a second look. Besides, does the whole world really need to know what is going on in our lives.

Is your child's safety worth 5 minutes of your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the lines of communications and limit internet access, to inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement, join thousands of other concerned parents and download it at:
http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/ and click on the OSA Agreement, link at the top of the page. Your child's safety is a click away.

Bill Wardell Is the Senior Editor/Creator/Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of "Don't Take Candy From Strangers" and a Authority Site Center Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest! Hear what is happening in the world of RFID, and listen to our radio interview with Dr. Katherine Albrecht Founder and Director, CASPIAN Consumer Privacy:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?show_id=16331

RFID In Health Care Organizations

The term RFID (radio frequency identification) describes a wireless identification technology that uses radio waves to communicate data. Data is encoded in a chip, which is integrated with an antenna and packaged into a finished "tag." RFID tags may be passive (requiring close proximity to a reader, and usually applied to track supplies), or active, in which the RFID tag contains a small battery to allow continuous monitoring (used mostly to track equipment).

For healthcare organizations, RFID is the next inevitable step towards the new generation healthcare services operations and it is set to provide new efficiencies, improved services, enhanced healthcare workflow and increased patient care for organizations seeking competitive advantage. Tracking elderly and disoriented patients in long term care cases, tracking mothers and their babies in maternity wards, ensuring the right procedure is being performed on the right person at the right time in surgical wards, a "smart" patient wristband that when scanned by RFID reveals patient name, date of birth, admitting orders, insurance information, surgical site, allergic reactions, medication requirements, and blood type are some of the innovative uses of RFID in the patient sphere. Among those benefiting are the many small to mid-size providers and clinics looking for an edge ? from improved operational efficiency to enhanced patient safety.

Some of the recent RFID solutions, gaining importance in the Healthcare space are :

Patient safety at point-of-care: With numerous cases of wrong-patient and wrong-procedure surgeries ocurring, the use of an RFID tag attached to a patient, allows a physician to verify the correct patient, procedure and site ? prior to the start of any invasive procedure.A handheld device can be used to confirm information(like the patient's Chart and ID wrist band)stored on the tag. RFID tags containing full patient histories are used to provide emergency workers with a potentially life-saving "head start" in making treatment decisions.

Patient tracking: Hospitals are incresingly looking towards being able to track patients in realtime. RFID tags are attached to ID bracelets of all patients , or just patients requiring special attention, so their location can be tracked continuously. Physicians can also use the RFID system to easily locate patients, increasing their productivity on rounds.

Asset tracking: Hospitals are finding it easier to manage highly mobile medical equipment such as IV pumps and wheel chairs. RFID tags are used to transmit location data to a workstation which displays the data on a floor plan of the Hospital.Trained Nurses use the software to locate the items during their daily routines. This ensure that the Hospital reduces its inventory and labor costs.

Meds management: An RFID-enabled meds management solution allows a clinician to scan a patient?s wristband to validate identification and review current orders from a physician. Likewise, tagged medications can be scanned to verify that patient, medication, dose and timing are consistent and accurate.

Clinical supplies management: The use of RFID in health care provides a simple, low-cost solution that allows tracking of supplies from the factory to storage shelves.This ensures that hospitals and clinics achieve improvements in availability of supplies, less duplication and loss of equipment, and savings in inventory costs.

To conclude,

Hospitals can regain control and significantly reduce costs by using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to track clinical staff, patients, supplies, medication and equipment. RFID technology and location systems improve staff efficiency, reduce theft and loss of equipment, and can provide a secure system for controlling medications and blood products. A study released by Chicago-based Fast Track Technologies Ltd. predicts the health care market for radio frequency identification technology will soar to $8.8 billion by 2010.

The Author Prakash T.C. is a Support Manager at Binary Spectrum

 

RFID Labels

An RFID label or tag is basically an RFID (radio frequency identification) transponder that is embedded with an IC (integrated circuit) and an antenna. The IC is encrypted with a unique electronic product code (EPC) that is equivalent to an electronic lineage, setting apart the tagged item from any other in the world. When a tag goes comes within the range of an RFID reader, proprietary information is passed on through an antenna to the reader, which then feeds the data to a central computer for processing.

There are two types of RFID labels, namely inductively coupled RFID tags, and capacitively coupled RFID tags. Inductively coupled RFID tags have been used for years to track cows, railroad cars, airline luggage, and freeway tolls. There are three parts of a usual inductively coupled RFID tag, namely silicon microprocessor, metal coil, and encapsulating material. Silicon microprocessor chips differ in size, depending on their purpose. Metal coil is made of copper or aluminum wire, wound into a circular pattern on a transponder, and it acts as a tag's antenna. The tag sends out signals to a reader, with read distance decided by the size of the coil antenna, and these coil antennas can operate at 13.56 MHz. Encapsulating material is glass or some polymer material that wraps around the chip and coil.

Inductive RFID tags are powered by the magnetic field produced by a reader. The tag's antenna picks up magnetic energy, and the tag interacts with the reader. The tag then adjusts the magnetic field for retrieving and transmitting data back to the reader, and the reader directs that data to the host computer.

Capacitively coupled RFID tags have been manufactured in order to reduce the cost of radio-tag systems. These tags get rid of metal coil and utilize a little quantity of silicon to accomplish the same function as that of an inductively coupled tag.

A capacitively coupled tag also has three components, namely silicon microprocessor, conductive carbon ink, and paper. As far as silicon microprocessor is concerned, Motorola's BiStatix RFID tags utilize a silicon chip that is only 3 millimeter square in area. A capacitively coupled tag can store 96 bits of information that would allow for billions of distinct numbers, and these numbers can be assigned to goods. Conductive carbon ink is a special ink that acts as the tag's antenna. This ink is applied to the paper substrate by using usual printing techniques. A silicon chip is affixed to printed carbon-ink electrodes on the back of a paper label, to create an inexpensive, disposable tag that can be integrated on conventional product labels.

RFID provides detailed information on RFID, RFID Tracking, RFID Tags, RFID Technology and more. RFID is affiliated with DNA Testing Services.

History of RFID

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can be traced back to World War II. Counties such as Germany, Japan, America, and England all used radar (that had been discovered in 1935 by a physicist named Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt) to warn of planes coming nearer while they were still far away. However, they had problems differentiating between their own planes and enemy planes.

The Germans observed that if pilots rolled their planes while returning to base, it would change the radio signal reflected back. This basic method notified a radar team on the ground that these were German planes and not others. This is, in essence, the first passive RFID system. Under Watson-Watt, the British built up the first active "identify friend or foe" (IFF) system. They planted a transmitter on each British plane and when it received signals from radar stations on land, it began broadcasting a signal back indicating that the aircraft was friendly. RFID technology uses this same basic idea. A signal is sent to a transponder, which gets activated and then either echoes back a signal (passive system) or broadcasts a signal (active system).

The first U.S. patent for an active RFID tag with rewritable memory was obtained by Mario W. Cardullo on January 23, 1973. In 1973, Charles Walton, a Californian industrialist, received a patent for a passive transponder that was used to unlock a door without a key. Then Walton licensed the technology to a lock making company called Schlage and to other companies.

The U.S. government had also started working on RFID systems. In the 1970s, the Department of Energy invited Los Alamos National Laboratory to build up a system to track nuclear materials. Then scientists developed the idea of placing a transponder in a truck and readers at gates of secure facilities. A gate antenna activates the transponder in the truck, which would react with an ID and other data, such as the driver's ID. Los Alamos also developed a passive RFID tag to track cows on request for the Department of Agriculture.

In the early 1990s, IBM engineers developed and gained exclusive rights to an ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID system. UHF provided a longer read range (up to 20 feet in good conditions) and quicker data transfer. IBM ran into a financial crisis in the mid-1990s and sold its patents to Intermec, a barcode systems manufacturer. Intermec RFID systems have been mounted in several different appliances related with warehouse tracking, farming, and many others.

RFID provides detailed information on RFID, RFID Tracking, RFID Tags, RFID Technology and more. RFID is affiliated with DNA Testing Services.

RFID Systems

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a network of microchip transponders, readers, and system software that makes possible the regular exchange of data.

Each RFID transponder, or a tag, is implanted with an integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna. The IC is encrypted with a unique electronic product code (EPC) that is equivalent to an electronic lineage, setting it apart the tagged item from any others in the world. When a tag comes into the range of an RFID reader, proprietary information is passed on through an antenna to a reader that consecutively supplies data to a central computer for processing.

RFID technology was firstly developed for armed forces during World War II, and it has spread out into trade, medical, education, automotive, defense, snack food, and travel industries. It has been expressed as "wireless bar coding," but actually, even basic RFID beats bar coding capabilities by far. RFID scanning can be done from larger distances than those in bar code scanning. RFID eliminates the need for line-of-sight reading that bar coding depends on, and RFID systems can provide a range of up to 90 feet. The Intermec Technologies Corporation, a designer and producer of RFID systems, has signed a contract with the government recently. European RFID systems are still more constrained than those in the U.S.

RFID systems are self-powered and they do not have any human involvement. They can scan several items at a time and furnish fingerprint-specific information about each. RFID systems are generally differentiated by storage and retrieval capabilities (read-only or read-write and passive or active power sources) and by frequency- LF (low frequency), HF (high-frequency), or UHF (ultra-high frequency).

Read-only tags are limited to recovery of stored data, such as product lot number or an item description. Read-only systems can efficiently streamline basic production and supply chain operations. Read-write labels are designed with both read and write capabilities. In a passive system, an RFID reader produces an energy field that triggers activation and gives power to a tag.

A passive system is not so powerful and somewhat less dependable than an active system. An active system has batteries implanted in tags to power transmission of data between tag and reader. Active systems are more refined than passive systems and offer longer read ranges. They have other features such as temperature sensing and a longer operating life.

RFID provides detailed information on RFID, RFID Tracking, RFID Tags, RFID Technology and more. RFID is affiliated with DNA Testing Services.

RFID Readers

RFID is an acronym that stands for "radio frequency identification." It is a continuously evolving technology that fundamentally is an automatic identification system that facilitates detection of objects. Purchases will be made easier when bar codes are replaced by RFID tags, also called smart labels. RFID tags are intelligent bar codes that can interact with a networked system for tracking every product that has been put in a shopping cart. They come in two types, namely, inductively coupled RFID tags and capacitively coupled RFID tags.

The basic function of an RFID reader is to communicate with an RFID tag by emanating radio waves through its antenna. RFID readers are categorized on the basis of their range, like UHF (ultra high frequency) and HF (high frequency), which are 13.56 MHz and 2.45 GHz. Their prices are also dependent on their ranges, therefore, UHF readers are the costliest, but prices range from $2500 to $3000.

There are three reasons for these readers being so expensive. First, there is no IC (integrated circuit) integration; second, there is a low quantity in production; and third, customized components are not available. However, according to a new calculation by a research company, the cost of UHF readers may go down by the end of 2006 or in 2007 since more and more dealers will invest into this technology. Also, as requirement levels increase, component costs will decrease.

A new analog front-end IC was launched by Colorado-based company, EM Microelectronic, which works for 13.56 MHz RFID readers. RFID Demonstration Reader, called EMDB408, was introduced by this company. It can be utilized as a reference design and development tool kit.

Also, a new antenna from Poynting Antennas was brought for the 860-960 MHz band. This particular range includes both the European Union and the U.S. RFID bands. RFID technology has bright prospects, and it can be beneficial to the mankind.

RFID provides detailed information on RFID, RFID Tracking, RFID Tags, RFID Technology and more. RFID is affiliated with DNA Testing Services.

RFID and the Future; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The issues of RFID and the Future are serious and need to be fully considered. On one hand RFID offers a glimmer of hope for the future of logistics, tracking, security and cost reduction for business, governments and citizens of the world. The potential for this technology is literally out of this World and thus we should also mention the satellite and NASA applications as well.

Someone needs to write a book, which discusses The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The over regulation already coming into play in states like California limiting its use to protect individual privacy in the future, which is said to be a little over paranoid. Such a book also talks about the use for tracking shipments and the security that will come of this outstanding revolutionary technology.

On the Ugly side the citizen right groups like Electronic Privacy Frontier are keeping a close eye on sub-dermal implants and government tracking. Someone with a lot of knowledge on this subject needs to write an eBook on RFID to advice the public and the industry as well? That someone should be an author who has previously written lots of articles on; logistic flows, robotic factories, future fighting forces, case studies, potential uses, biometrics, technology, antennas, Homeland security, cargo containers, price points.

This author needs to be someone who has taken RFID Magazine, nearly since its first issue and has no less than 60 articles on the subject as well. RFID or Radio Frequency Identification is an industry in need of a spokesman and a few good books on the subject. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

Pros and Cons of RFID Technology

I. RFID Advantages

Radio Frequency Identification provides a valuable service that is capable of revolutionizing the way companies track products. There are many benefactors of this technology: the military, retailers, suppliers, consulting firms, producers of the technology, and consumers. RFID provides companies with a better alternative to bar-coding because no line-of-sight is needed to read a pallet, a carton, or a product with a RFID tag. RFID tags also contain information on the product that is easily readable and accessible for the reader. RFID will also begin to automate company?s supply chain, reducing labor costs, human error and time spent checking in products.

In 2005, manufacturers and suppliers requesting new bids from the military must be RFID compliant on four different levels: packaged operational rations, clothing, tools, and weapon system repair parts and components. The military requires that all cartons and pallets are shipped with a Military Shipping Label which displays shipping data. The Department of Defense has created the RFID Military Compliance Solution as a way to help suppliers and manufacturers meet the military?s new standards for RFID. The program is run by Avery Dennison Retail Information Services, and they were commissioned by the RFID Military Compliance Solution. Avery Dennison Retail Information Services sells the RFID tags to companies which must be affixed close to the Military Shipping Labels to comply with Department of Defense regulations.

The U.S. military is saving an enormous amount of money by using active and passive RFID systems. By using RFID for communication and transportation systems in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is able to diagnose and fix problems much faster than before. The implementation of RFID in just this area will save the military close to half a million dollars this year. The U.S. government has contracted IBM to do research on the current RFID being used currently in the military and the potential future applications for RFID in the military. The military has been successful in creating better visibility throughout their supply chain increasing their productivity and stability.

Retailers and other companies that have a demanding supply chain can gain an advantage on the field by using RFID in the supply chain. By demanding that all levels of their supply chain be RFID capable is a sizable investment. The productivity increase that follows the initial investment and implementation for companies will pay for their investment. Wal-Mart was the first retailer to use RFID in their distribution centers and warehouses, prompting many companies to follow in their footsteps once Wal-Mart?s success was realized.

RFID is very successful with retail companies because it improves productivity, saves on human labor costs, and gives companies real-time visibility with all their products. RFID tags use an Electronic Product Code (EPC) which is an upgrade and a replacement for the Universal Product Code (UPC) system. ?EPC has a 96-bit code that has digits to identify the manufacturer, product category and the individual item. Manufacturers obtain registration numbers & assign them to products. Each number is unique to a given item.?

The cost of a tag is anywhere between twenty-five to fifty cents. In the next five to ten years it could be reduced to five cents per tag. At some point in the near future tags could fall to one cent tempting companies to use RFID tags on every product in a store. Wal-Mart says that since their stores now have RFID, it makes it easier to keep store shelves stocked allowing employees to interact with customers.

Target was able to save on their investment for implementing RFID, following in Wal-Mart?s footsteps as Wal-Mart had already paved the way and suffered the pitfalls of implementing a new technology. In addition to the lower implementation costs, many of Target?s suppliers had already begun preparing for the switch over to RFID assuming Target would follow Wal-Mart. Target as a large retailer knows how important it is to be able to provide real-time data on pallets, cartons and shipments up and down-stream through their supply chain.

A break-through in RFID technology was made by Intermec, Inc. in May of 2006, with new rugged and reusable RFID tags. These tags can be written thousands of times; it can handle hazardous chemical exposure, and withstands temperatures from -50 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In October of 2006, Intermec released a new version of the rugged, reusable RFID tag, including wide-band antenna that can be used on any surface in any part of the world.

RFID makes the business world seem like a smaller place, even companies like Wal-Mart who are very big and have a large integrated supply chain. RFID enables companies to be more efficient with their time and space. Companies that combine some newer supply chain technologies with RFID could see great results. Combining auto-picking with RFID would reduce man-power needed, time needed to move pallets and cartons around a warehouse, and time needed to send pallets to their proper destination. The goal of a company?s supply chain should be to reduce time needed to be productive, by automating as much of the supply chain as possible. It reduces human error, and machines are capable of running twenty-four hours a day and cost less than human labor. The application of RFID for a large company like Wal-Mart or Target, as well as smaller retail stores can ensure a better shopping experience with more in-stock items and a more knowledgeable store.

The RFID market is booming and many technological companies have gotten in the game producing RFID parts and systems. In many cases being a producer of RFID components and systems also allows you to become a consulting firm for the technology. Hewlett Packard (HP) is one of the largest companies developing RFID systems. HP?s goal is to make it as easy and affordable as possible for a company adopting RFID technology. HP has experience in the RFID field, as they were one of the early adopters of the technology and have been very successful integrating it into their business. HP began with two larger clients, Hasbro (produces children?s toys) and Conros (a large Wal-Mart supplier). Hewlett Packard has created two RFID Centers for Excellence, one in California and one in Taiwan, to demonstrate new potential uses for the technology, as well as how it can be implemented into a business. More centers are slated to be opened throughout the world, including Great Britain, Singapore, and Tokyo RFID Centers for Excellence.

The RFID market sits at roughly one billion dollars in 2006 and has varying estimates as to the growth potential of the market. Estimates of RFID market size in 2008 vary anywhere from $1.3 billion by IDC, to $4.2 Billion by the Yankee Group. As shown in Figure 1 in the appendix, most of the industry is made up of sales of hardware, tags, readers and other physical products of RFID. Roughly 20-25% of the market is made up of consulting work for the technology and the last 5% is made up of software for RFID. The two biggest areas firms are concentrating on are the production and consulting sides of RFID.

The biggest challenges for producers and consultants alike are the reliability and durability of RFID systems and products. It is hard to simulate the wear and tear a product will experience over time. HP has made testing RFID products one of their benchmarks, providing intense field-testing of RFID to ensure its durability and quality. A competitor of HP is IBM, who according to AMR Research is the market leader in RFID. IBM has over eleven years experience working with RFID, and like HP, they were an early adopter of RFID technology. The advantage that IBM has over HP is there world-renowned consulting services, coupled with their immense networking capabilities. IBM?s services promise more results than HP?s RFID systems mainly because of IBM?s consulting expertise. IBM works with companies to locate the best avenues to implement RFID, attempting to maximize Return on Investment (ROI) by reducing one person per shift from manually tracking products allowing them to focus on value-added manufacturing activities. IBM also focuses on other ways to improve ROI including, offering a one-time savings of $230,000 in operating costs, continuous fabrication line operations, better customer service providing real-time information on products, and less errors and delays cause by human error.

RFID began to take off once companies like Wal-Mart and Target, and the U.S. military demanded that their top 100 suppliers must adopt RFID technology. Many suppliers were not ready for a move like this, a move that would completely retrofit their current operations at a high cost to the supplier. There were some suppliers that welcomed the change in technology and already began implementing RFID in anticipation of Wal-Mart and the U.S. military?s demand that their suppliers adopt the new technology. Wal-Mart demanded that their top one hundred suppliers would need to be RFID ready by January 2005, and to Wal-Mart?s surprise, twenty three extra suppliers have volunteered to make the change to RFID. There is a new generation of tags that hit the market in 2005, called the Gen 2 Standard, which make RFID more appealing to suppliers who have no RFID systems in place. The Gen 2 RFID improves on the first generation of RFID by increasing read times, increasing read ranges, and read tags more accurately.

Suppliers and manufacturers will notice the benefits of implementing RFID into their organizations streamlining parts of their operations. Return on Investment is the most important factor for a business implementing RFID. Suppliers will see their ROI increase as human labor hours are decreased, human errors are decreased and interoperability is increased. RFID increases the visibility of the suppliers so they can do their job in real time, assuring that the correct package is sent to the correct location. It also saves money in the long-term for manufacturers and suppliers because RFID will save time spent inventorying and tracking products. An advantage for suppliers and manufacturers using RFID is customization of products in a shorter period of time. Smaller suppliers and manufacturers will have a harder time implementing RFID, as costs range from $100,000 to $5 million to implement the technology, but as costs go down more companies will adopt RFID.

RFID does have another potential benefit for suppliers that could give them invaluable information. For Wal-Mart suppliers, readers are set up at the back door so suppliers know when their shipments have arrived increasing visibility for both entities. A second reader is placed at the entrance to the sales floor so the supplier can see what is on-hand on the sales floor and in the stock room. This will allow the supplier to see which products sell better than others so that they can be replaced, and it also allows the supplier to develop more accurate sales forecasts. A secondary benefit of RFID is that the promotions that merchandisers spend a lot of money to set up are often left in the stock room for too long or are improperly placed. Now merchandisers and vendors can make sure their promotions are being handled correctly. Suppliers and manufacturers have the potential to save money on production costs, while making money on customized products.

Consumers should be the ultimate winner with RFID being implemented throughout a company?s supply chain. In the long-run, stores will save money throughout their supply chain, thus bringing down costs to consumers. Consumers should also expect to find more helpful and more informative customers service with companies that have RFID. These companies now have real-time data to share with the customer. A consumer complaint about retail stores has always been that there are too many out-of-stock items; however, with RFID in place many of these stores should see a significant decrease in out-of-stock items. Having RFID tags on certain products can also make people?s lives much easier, such as a microwave that is a reader and recognizes the tag of the food you put in and will automatically cook it according to the directions on the tag. It also helps environmentally because companies will use resources more efficiently, benefiting everyone. Once RFID tags are able to be used on food products it will make a recall on a certain item much easier and it could potentially save lives.

Consumers use RFID everyday and many do not realize the benefits they are receiving from the technology. Contactless payment is a developing technology, the card being used contains a tag and the payment area contains a reader. Mobil and Exxon use a ?Speedpass? as their contactless form of payment allowing customers to wave the card in front of a reader to pay for gas or anything in the convenient store. Visa and Mastercard are the two biggest developers of this technology, claiming that it will benefit everyone from consumers to businesses. It allows people to have preset money on a card (either debit or credit) which decreases waiting time at check-out stands and increases loyalty to companies that offer this feature. Another use of smart cards is keyless entries, which is becoming a popular trend in America, using just a card and swipe it over the sensor to allow entry. RFID is a beneficial technology for consumers saving time and offering conveniences traditional bar codes, credit cards and keys cannot offer.

RFID contains many advantages over traditional ways of coding pallets, boxes and products. It allows for non-line of sight reading of the tag which stores all the product information. RFID reduces human labor costs and human errors through the supply chain saving companies money, as well as reducing theft in the store and warehouses. RFID can save lives as well if there is a recall and the recalled food item or product is tagged, then it would be easier to collect all the units.

II. Disadvantages
Radio Frequency Identification has been around for over fifty years, but it has been the rapid development and deployment of the technology over the last five years that has raised people?s awareness and understanding of the technology. While there are many potential benefits for RFID, there are many pitfalls as well. Every level that could benefit from RFID can also reap negative rewards from the technology.

The U.S. military was one of the early adopters of the technology using it for over ten years in a limited area of their operations. In 2003 they upgraded their usage of the technology by demanding that all suppliers must affix a RFID tag to every pallet, carton and big-ticket item being shipped to the military. The biggest problem the military faces is an issue of security. With complete product information on a tag it is easy for an enemy of the United States to pull information off a tag. This could result in loss of life of U.S. soldiers or even U.S. civilians if the wrong product ended up in the wrong hands. The tags could inform enemies of potential weaknesses and strengths of our military and give them a view on how to attack us at our weakest points.

Large companies like Wal-Mart and Target who use RFID face many potential problems with the technology. RFID has no proven infrastructure making it difficult for suppliers to keep up with these company?s demands to become RFID-ready. If the suppliers cannot effectively implement RFID into their business, then retailers cannot fully view their supply chain. If retailers cannot get all their information in real time across their entire supply chain, then the issues they are trying to solve will remain problems. Out-of-stock items, first-in-first-out products and last-in-last out products will still cause problems for these large retailers.

EPCGlobal is a start to an international standards body for RFID. It has yet to be approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and there is still not a global frequency standard. While 900 MHz appears to be the best frequency due to its long read-range capability, 13.56 MHz is still used delaying the standardization of global frequency for RFID. High costs of RFID implementation is the reason many mid-size and smaller retailers have not adopted the technology. The short-term outlook for companies who use RFID isn?t impressive, although long-term benefits will be realized.

Privacy issues are the number one pitfall for RFID and retailers. As long as the tags are only affixed to pallets and cartons then the retailers would not have any specific information on the consumer. However, when RFID tag prices fall, companies like Wal-Mart and Target plan on using RFID tags on individual products which they can trace consumer?s buying habits and other information consumer?s wish to keep private. It was privacy issues that force Benetton to cease their pilot RFID system. They wanted to embed a tag in articles of clothing to stop theft, determine consumer buying habits and keep their inventory at an acceptable level. Privacy advocate groups such as the Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion (CASPIAN) fight companies using RFID to track consumer behavior. A study showed that up to 78% of America was against RFID based solely on privacy issues. It will be difficult for companies in the future to tag individual items without a public outcry without some form of protection for the public?s privacy rights.

Consumers have the largest disadvantage of any other entities involved with RFID technology. There are five privacy issues that consumers must try to protect themselves from: Hidden placement of tags, unique identifiers for objects worldwide, massive data aggregation, hidden readers, and individual tracking and profiling. Hidden placement of tags by companies is an easy way to get information from consumers. The consumer will feel safe buying a product with no knowledge of an RFID tag embedded in their clothing. These tags theoretically could track a person around the world if there were readers in specific locations throughout the world. Personal information may also be embedded in these tags giving information as detailed as your medical history. Prada and Swatch use embedded tags in their clothing, and Benetton did as well, but a boycott of Benetton was successful and they removed their tags. There is no law against companies embedding tags, and only California and Utah have made official requests to change the situation.

Companies who use RFID can compile massive amounts of data on consumers, including product likes or dislikes, buying power or even prescription history. RFID makes it easy to amass this data and to designate correlations. If a corporation owns many stores they can combine data between companies and create new data on buying habits.

Hidden readers violate people?s privacy much the same way hidden tags do. Gillette and Accenture are introducing ?silent commerce? which embeds tags on people?s products and readers in strategic locations without the consumer?s knowledge. These companies have experimented with different reader locations ranging from secret carpet locations to shelve locations and even hidden in floor tiles. Readers could even be installed in doorways on street lights, anywhere that people have to pass through, and instantly all information embedded in the tag is broadcast to the reader. If this were to happen privacy would be impossible because you would never know if the products you have contain tags, and you never know when you are within proximity to a reader.

The disadvantages of RFID hinge mainly on privacy concerns, technological imperfections, cost of the technology and no proven way to set up an RFID system for a company. The government and corporations are the two groups that offer the most concern for privacy issues. Hidden tags and readers threaten to take away human mystery, offering a world where people see, feel and hear only what the government and large corporation want people to.

III. Future of RFID
The future of RFID is uncertain, however, the technology is here to stay. Companies have many obstacles to overcome to make the technology a feasible option to be implemented. Privacy issues and will persist, although cost for RFID systems will decrease. In order for RFID to be successful, companies must work with privacy advocate groups to develop a fair way to implement RFID without alienating their customers.

Technology will continue to develop for RFID and many new applications will be realized. Automation will be a side-effect of RFID development, in the supply chain and in everyday activities. Contactless payment methods are already available, as well as automatic keycards to open doors. RFID tags installed in cars with readers on the roads and freeways will alert the authority if you are breaking the law. Supermarkets will eventually be able to realize their shopping cart checkout system once prices fall to a more affordable price. Fresh foods, metals and liquids will all be RFID compatible in the near future. If privacy issues are not watched closely, people will become tagged and there will always be someone watching and analyzing every person?s decisions.

Brian Free - Ramblings of an Affiliate Marketer http://bfreedom.wordpress.com

RFID Chips Taking Away Your Privacy

RFID chip. What is it? RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. A microchip about the size of a speck of dust or a speck of pepper with an antenna spiraling from it ranging from an inch to four inches in diameter. They are showing up in the products we buy. I had bought a Western Digital 80G hard drive from Wal-Mart and in the bottom of the box with the theft security device over the top of it was a little square white sticker. So with the knowledge of RFID I peeled the sticker off, held it to the light, and sure enough was the unmistakable spiraling antenna. And since I used my debit card to purchase it, the hard drive was now linked to me. I.E. my name, address, account, etc. which is decoded from the code that was embedded in the chips info of a long binary number that can be read with an RFID reader.

These chips have no power source of their own. However, they are powered from the frequency generated from an RFID reader. Which can range from a couple of inches to several feet. Depending on how string the signal is set. Now, these frequencies are about the same as cell phones. And cell phones have been known to cause brain cancer, brain tumors, etc. of people that have heavy use of cell phones. Now our whole body is being subject to these frequencies so they can read the chip in your $20 bill, in your debit card, in the soles of your shoes, in the tags of the clothes you're wearing, etc. Now you can be tracked as to wherever you go. Including with the tires of your vehicle as you drive down the road. Cross one reader, then another. And you get a ticket in the mail for speeding.

These chips make it possible to track your every move from birth to death. And just think. They even plan to implant these under your skin. I have even seen photos of rifles that are designed to shoot these little RFID ships, that are contained in glass, why glass, and have a fluid. OK. Just what is the fluid? I don't know yet. If you know please tell me and I'll include it in this report.

Now, these chips do have their place. They can be attached to pallets of product for easy invitory findings. Tracking durring shipment to the store. But this should be as far as it should go.

It shouldn't get into the privacy of our general life. Which dictates how we're treated cause they know how much money you spend and have on hand and in your account just by walking into the store. Ever see those grey pillars at the entrance of a store?

Back to the $20 bill. Did you know that when a police officer pulls you over he can tell you how much money you have on you and in your vehicle within just a few dollars? The ones can't be tracked. Don't believe me. Try this experiment. Take a $20 and put it into the microwave for 5 seconds. Jacksons eye should burn out. Which is where the chip is. Yes, your microwave will destroy these chips. Just be ready to put the fire out.

So the moral of the story. Pay cash for everything. This will cut down on the tracking.

Here are some good links to copy paste into a new browser window for futher information on RFID.

http://news.com.com/2010-1069-980325.html

http://www.epic.org/privacy/rfid/

http://www.neology-rfid.com/

http://rfid.pivocom.com/

Some videos and pictures. http://technorati.com/tag/RFID

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID

http://www.ti.com/rfid/default.htm

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RFID.html

http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/RFID/

Please pass this article around to as many as you can. Even copy paste everything and e-mail it to to all of your friends. The word needs to be spread around to all. Our privacy is at stake.

Wiz.

http://stores.ebay.com/Wizard-Angel-Poster-Art-Studios

Gary S. recommends coming by his store for 3-D ChromaDepth art that's done with a psychedelic flavor at: http://stores.ebay.com/Wizard-Angel-Poster-Art-Studios

GPS and RFID Package Tracking

It was not that many years ago that package tracking was almost totally guesswork. If you ordered something that needed to be shipped to you it might arrive in 3 days or 3 weeks and where the package was in between the shipper and you was a complete mystery. All of that is changing not only because of GPS tracking but also because of radio frequency identification (RFID).

GPS is a wonderful technology that is revolutionizing many areas of our lives; but it is simply too expensive to put a GPS receiver on every box, package or envelope that is shipped. But it really isn't necessary to GPS track every package. Inevitably packages are in a building, or a truck, so all you need to know is which truck or building has your package and where the building or truck is. Buildings obviously don't move so you don't need to GPS track the packages in a building you simply need to know constantly exactly what packages are in the building.

Shipping and delivery trucks, of course, are a different matter. Trucks must be GPS tracked in order to track the packages in them. Very soon every new delivery truck that hits the roads will have a fully integrated GPS tracking system. Older trucks will end up being updated with GPS, sooner rather than later, or the trucks will be likely retired completely. GPS in shipping trucks is used primarily to let the shipper and shipping company know where the packages are. The GPS can also be used for navigation, but most truckers already know their territory and don't need GPS navigation. The big push for GPS-equipped delivery trucks is for tracking packages.

So the only thing left to make the system work is to electronically tag each package. In the state of the art system of the near future packages will be identified by RFID. It will not be long before a RFID electronic tag will be attached to almost all packages shipped everywhere. Unlike current bar coding systems, RFID electronic tags do not require a visual scan and can carry significantly more information. Bar coding is almost everywhere these days, but it requires a close and accurate visual scan by a bar code reader. It is simply too slow and often inaccurate. RFID tags on the other hand require only that the package be within radio frequency range of the RFID receiver or RFID interrogator. The days of running a package under a visual scanner by hand are almost over.

Even today most shipping companies have prototype shipping and delivery trucks with fully integrated RFID interrogators, RFID antennas, GPS tracking and a cellular computer network to tie it all together. Factories, shipping and mail centers are also starting to use RFID throughout their facilities so they know exactly what packages are in their facilities. So the package-tracking circle will soon be complete. The package sends, or is induced to send, out a radio frequency signal, the RFID interrogator inside the back of the truck or in the building picks up the signal, the computer network on the truck or in the building sends out a cellular message letting the shippers computer know what is where and finally the GPS system tells the shipper where the truck is if the package is currently on a truck.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to GPS

RFID System Planning - A Simple Overview

This document is intended as a short, simple summarised overview for companies thinking of, or wanting to, implement RFID technology within their supply chain operations. It is designed to increase awareness of the needs, wants, dos and don?ts when planning your RFID supply chain systems. A glossary of RFID terms is included to assist you when investigating RFID systems and technology. The single most important message is that defined objectives and planning are paramount; and that input and assistance from independent expertise at a very early stage, can save considerable time and money in the long term.

It is recognised that RFID will enable, (and already has in some cases), a new era of business optimisation, managing and increasing efficiencies throughout the supply chain. However knowing that it can assist your business, and understanding how it will do so, are different enough, let alone knowing how to actually implement a system that provides a sound return on the investment, whilst meeting your objectives.

The potential final cost of a fully integrated RFID supply chain operation would suggest that well planned objectives and a Pilot Scheme within part of the supply chain would be the prudent route to take. This ensures that a final system properly specified and implemented will actually produce the results that you both want and expect.

Business Drivers

The key driver for any investment of this type is the cost savings it will yield. However RFID technology provides additional advantages of real time and faster data capture, with a reduced human error factor. Unlike bar code-based systems, an RFID system can read the information on multiple tags without necessarily requiring line of sight and without the need for a particular orientation. The main business drivers throughout most sectors are as follows:

? Optimise asset and resource utilisation
? Optimise operational process & Manage supply chain exceptions
? Reduce transportation costs
? Reduce theft, wastage and loss
? Increase financial return on investments
? Optimise the labour force
? Manage KPIs and benchmarking
? Avoid congestion of assets and bottlenecks in the supply chain
? To reduce overall supply chain costs
? To assist in making informed decisions in respect of the logistics ?loop"

Where do you start?

The range of technologies, standards and options for RFID systems are too numerous to list here, and there is a danger of over specifying the technology required.

Providing that the system objective is not forgotten during the specification and implementation stage, then a suitable system integrator will ensure that there is not an over investment, or too much needless information being produced. It is therefore crucial that the functionality requirements and objectives are well thought out and defined in advance of partnering with a suitable System Integrator, specifically in relation to the management information you wish to extract from the system.

It is widely acknowledged by all who have conducted pilot schemes and RFID implementation that the most crucial factor is to conduct a pilot scheme with partners that have a proven track record, and are not learning as they go along. Therefore a System Integrator with relevant industry sector experience is vital.

From experience it is preferable, in the early planning stages, to have an independent project co-ordinator / facilitator assisting your project team. This individual should be separate from the Integrator and individual system / hardware suppliers working together on the project, and not part of any individual departments within your business that may bias the direction and objectives of the team.

Your RFID project team should be kept as small as possible to reduce management time, training needs, misinformation, over analysis and to remain focused to the project objectives. Team members should then feed back to their own local departments and teams to facilitate the actions and objectives of the project team.

What are your hardware requirements?

The functional requirements of the system will dictate the hardware and software specifications, for example the read / write capabilities of the RFID tags will ultimately be dictated by the business objectives.

With the ability to write tags comes the ability to change data. This is considered by some to be a very important feature of RFID, specifically when it relates to the retail and warehousing industry where it is not just pallets and boxes, but also individual product items being tracked and replenished. These business operations, information needs, standards, customer requirements and other variables can all change rapidly over a relatively short period of time.

The RFID readers will be able to read tags at a rate of several dozen tags per second; however the speed at which that data is processed into the system is limited and dependent on the network and database. The amount of data held on a tag will affect the read rates. This therefore means that the middleware, back end processing and management reporting systems must be wholly compatible with the tags and readers supplied in terms of speed and capability.

It will be the results of the Pilot scheme that facilitate the specific ?roll out? requirements for the full system. The exact specifications of the hardware requirements for the pilot scheme are to be specified during the site survey and process analysis by the system integrator. What are your system software requirements?

A key area for concern is handling the sheer volume and speed of data produced by an RFID system.

If you were to implement an RFID system by directly hooking RFID readers to the backend management and ERP systems, the results will be disastrous due to the massive volume of data directly entering the system.

What?s needed is the right system architecture, not only to maintain data accuracy and authenticity, but to make meaning of the vast volumes of data delivered by the RFID readers. Some estimates are that pallet, tote and item-level tracking, combined with data generated by RFID readers as items move within the enterprise, will increase the volume of data by 100 to 1,000 times today?s levels in most supply chains (source: RFID Journal).

Effective RFID implementations should follow the architectural principles developed for financial trading systems, process control and large-scale network management. Like RFID systems, these systems process huge volumes of data, correct errors in real time, correlate events, detect trends and patterns, re-organise and cleanse data and recover from faults ? all in real time.

A role of the system integrator is to develop and implement an operational data management architecture that captures events at the ?edge? of the enterprise, where operational activity occurs, rather than in the centre, where business-oriented transaction processing occurs. To achieve manageable data then the architecture will comprise of data concentrators and pipelines to route relevant data to the specific user systems that require it, thus not overloading any individual back end management system. For example:- container / pallet data to the asset management system, product and stock data to the ERP and MRP systems cost data to the financial management systems and so on??.

System compatibility in a Global Supply Chain is important, not necessarily for the pilot scheme, but if it is to facilitate a successful roll out across the whole supply chain. Global standards are progressing with the new systems created in compliance with the EPCglobal Generation 2 (Gen 2) standard.

Gen 2 creates a foundation on which to build interoperable RFID products and systems that will improve inventory management, logistics and retail operations around the world. However there will be significant performance and capability differences among Gen 2 compliant equipment. Gen 2 is a standard, and standards specify minimum performance requirements and will therefore not accommodate all systems, as standard ?based equipment will not provide a standard performance.

Gen 2 specifies basic RFID communications performance required for common supply chain business processes. However, although companies within the same sector have similar information needs as their competitors and have comparable business practices, usage environments will be very different depending on age and design of the assembly / manufacturing facility, geography and culture. Gen 2 or any RFID technology won't provide exactly the same performance at any two facilities. That is why it is important to understand the difference between what Gen 2 specifies and the range of performance that Gen 2 compliant products can provide.

What next?

RFID does not need to be as complicated or as daunting as some of the industry players would have you believe. Just because the technology exists it does not need to be used to maximum capacity throughout all supply chains. The following factors are considered to be key when moving forward:

? Do not overcomplicate the technology; use what is suitable to meet your objectives.
? Ensure the correct partner (system integrator / provider) is engaged from the outset.
? Ensure that the systems chosen can move with technology
? The pilot scheme is just that - it will need development

RFID system planning is crucial to its success but can on its own be a major task. This combined with the fact that you may have little or no RFID expertise internally can prevent you from taking your first steps to deciding if RFID is suitable to you and your business. Gideon Hillman Consulting can assist you with knowledge and experienced based RFID system planning and help you design a project plan with specific focus on:

-Project Objectives & Scope
-Resource Requirements
-Project Stages and Timescale
-Project Milestones
-Integrator / Supplier Choice
-Regular Technical Reviews

Investment into planning and consultative project management at the outset can negate over investment and additional cost in the longer term.

RFID Terminology:

ASN ? Advanced Shipping Notice ? notification between vendor and customer of parts due or to be delivered.
Agile reader - An RFID reader that can read tags operating at different frequencies or different communication protocols.
Air interface protocol - The standards that govern how RFID tags and readers communicate.
Anti-collision - Anti-collision algorithms are used to collect data from multiple RFID tags at the same time from the same RFID reader without interference.
Auto-ID Centre - The original non-profit organisation that helped develop RFID system technology. This work is now continued by EPCglobal.
Backscatter - The communication method between a passive RFID tag and a reader. An RF signal sent by a reader is reflected back to the reader from the tag, which is modulated to transmit data.
Beacon - An active or semi-passive RFID tag that is programmed to wake up and broadcast a signal at pre-set intervals.
Commissioning - Writing data to an RFID tag for the first time. This can happen at the factory or later using a smart label printer.
Concentrator - A device used to gather data from multiple RFID readers at the same time. Contactless smart card - A credit card or buyer card that contains an RFID chip to transmit information without having to be swiped through a reader.
EPC ? Electronic Product Codes
EPCglobal - The organisation set up to commercialise RFID technology, which has taken over this task from the Auto-ID Centre.
Far-field communication - An RFID tag that is located one full wavelength away from an RFID reader.
HHT ? Hand Held Terminal ? portable handheld RFID reader which operators can carry to manually interrogate RFID tags
Inductive coupling. - An RFID reader antenna and a tag antenna each have a coil, which together form a magnetic field. The RFID tag draws electrical energy from this field, which powers its microchip. The microchip then changes the electrical characteristics of the tag antenna. These changes are sensed up by the reader antenna and converted into a serial number for the RFID tag.
Interrogator - Another name for an RFID reader.
KPIs ? Key Performance Indicators ? used in performance benchmarking processes
License plate - A simple RFID system that only tracks RFID tag serial numbers and no other information.
Middleware - In the context of an RFID system, refers to software that is used to filter RFID data and pass on useful information to enterprise software applications for further processing.
Moores Law - The observation made in 1965 by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented. Moore predicted that this trend would continue for the foreseeable future. In subsequent years, the pace slowed down a bit, but data density has doubled approximately every 18 months, and this is the current definition of Moore's Law.
Passive tag - An RFID tag without a power source or transmitter. Radio waves from an RFID reader are collected from the RFID tag antenna, which powers up the microchip in the tag. The tag is then able to send back information stored in the chip to the reader.
Phantom read - When a RFID reader reports the presence of a tag that doesn't exist.
RFID reader - A device used to communicate with RFID tags. The reader has one or more antennas, which emit radio waves and receive signals back from the tag. The reader is also sometimes called an interrogator because it "interrogates" the tag.
RFID tag - A microchip attached to an antenna in a package. An RFID tag contains a unique serial number at a minimum, but commonly contains other information about a product. RFID tags can be passive, semi-passive or active.
Semi-passive tags - Similar to active RFID tags, but the battery is used only to run the RFID chip - not to broadcast a signal to a reader.
Slap and ship - Placing an RFID tag on a case or pallet just before it is shipped from a supplier. Used to meet a retailer's requirements.
Smart label - A bar-code label that contains an RFID tag.
Transponder. A radio-frequency transmitter-receiver combo. Another term for a RFID tag.
Write-once, read-many (WORM) - A RFID tag that can be written to (changed) only once by a reader. Afterward, the tag can only be read.

Gideon Hillman was employed at a Senior Management Level throughout Europe within the Materials Handling, Logistics and Specialist Supply Chain Services industry for over 12 years, (7 of which with TNT Logistics), prior to establishing Gideon Hillman Consulting in 2004. Gideon is a Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport & The Institute of Management Consultants. As well as presenting to, and working with, Industry specific forums such as BARD / BPI in the music retail industry, the IISRP in the Global Automotive Tyre Industry and the Odette Group for Automotive Materials Handling, he was a Keynote speaker on "Asset management in the supply chain", at the 1998 IFPWA Global conference and has worked closely with the IARC (International Automotive Research Centre) on RFID implementation for Automotive Stillage Tracking. He was also a speaker on Asset Management in the Humanitarian Aid Supply Chain, at the 2006 Aid & Trade Humanitarian Relief Conference in Geneva.

Pervasiveness of RFID in Indian Businesses - Opportunities Challenges And Strategies

Abstract

RFID is not a new concept. RFID tags consist of silicon chips and an antenna that can transmit data to a wireless receiver. With the field of wireless reading device, hundreds of tags can be read in a second. RFID tags are classified into active and passive tags. Former are costly ranging from Rs. 65/- per tag and the latter are cheap in the range of Rs. 25-30 per tag. Passive tags cannot give complete data rather brief. RFID has pervasive applications and in this paper the author discussed the potential applications of the technology in different fields of business and also suggests certain approaches to tap the maximum potential.

CONTENTS

1. Concept of RFID and its origins

2. How RFID works and classification.

3. How different RFID is from Barcode

4. Current applications and potential uses of RFID

5. Factors and Adverse affects for the Adoption of RFID technology.

6. Strategies for the rapid adoption of RFID.

7. Conclusion

Introduction: Concept of RFID and its origin

Radio frequency Identification (RFID has been around since World War II). The technology used in RFID has actually been around since the early 1920?s. A much more related technology, the IFF transponder, went into operation in 1939 and was routinely used by the British in the World War II to identify airplanes as friend and foe. RFID became reality after 3 years of advances in many different fields. In simple, RFID tags consist of silicon chips and an antenna that can transmit data to a wireless receiver. Therefore the radio Id tags do not receive line-of-sight for reading that is the RFID tagged product need not be held close to the scanner to read the data of a RFID tag. Within the field of a wireless reading device, it is possible to automatically read hundred of tags a second.

How RFID works and the classification

The technology in RFID is a system and consists of different components such as, tags, tags readers, tag programming stations, circulation readers, sorting equipment, and tag inventory wand. The purpose of a RFID system is to enable data to be transmitted by a portable device called a tag, which is read by an RFID reader and processed according to the needs of a particular application. The data transmitted by the tag may provide identification or location information or specifics about the product such a price, color, date of purchase, etc. The use of RFID in tracking and access applications first appeared

during 1980?s. RFID quickly gained attention because of its ability to track moving objects. As the technology is refined, more pervasive and invasive uses of RFID tags are in the works.

In a typical RFID system, individual objects are equipped with a small, inexpensive tag. The tag contains a transponder with a digital memory chip that is given a unique electronic product code. The interrogator, an antenna packaged with a transceiver and decoder, emits a signal activating the RFID tag so it can emit a signal activating the RFID tag so it can read and write data to it. When RFID tag passes through the electromagnetic zone, it detects the reader?s activation signal. The reader decodes the data encoded in the tag?s integrated circuit (silicon chip) and the data is passed to the host computer for processing.

RFID tags can be classified into passive or active tags. Passive tags do not have their own power supply. The minute electrical current is induced in the antennas by the incoming radio frequency scan provides enough power for the tag to send a response. Due to power and cost concerns. The response of a passive RFID tag is brief ? typically just an ID number. Lack of an on-board power supplies means that the device can be quite small: commercially available products exist that can be embedded under the skin. As of 2005, the smallest such devices commercially available measured 0.4mm x 0.4mm, which is thinner than a sheet of paper; such devices are practically invisible. Passive tags have practical read ranges that vary from about 10mm up to about 6 meters. Active RFID tags, on the other hand, must have a power source and may have longer ranges and larger memories than passive tags as well as the ability to store additional information sent by the transceiver. At present, the smallest active tags are about the size of a coin. Many active tags have practical ranges of tens of meters and a battery life of up to several years.

How different RFID is from Barcode

Many retailers and manufacturers have been using bar codes. These are scanned manually and read individually. In the case of RFID tags, it is a small object similar to adhesive sticker and is attached to or incorporated in the product. RFID tags work better and more data can be collected and stored in the RFID micro ship. Further RFID tags cold identify exactly which box it is, which is lacking in barcode system.

Current and potential uses of RFID

In US the RFID frequencies are used: 125 kHz (the original standard) and 134.5 kHz) the international standard). Low frequency RFID tags are commonly used for animal identification, beer keg tracking and automobile key- and ?lock, antitheft systems. Pets are often embedded with small chips so that they may be returned to their owners. High frequency RFID tags are used in library books or bookstore tracking, pallet tracking, building access control, airline baggage tracking and apparel item tracking. These are high frequency used in identification badges, replacing earlier magnetic stripe cards.

The American Express Blue credit cards now include a high frequency RFID tag, a feature American Express calls commercially in pallet and containers tracking, and trucks and trailer tracking in shipping yards. Microwave RFID tags are used in long range access control for vehicles.

In January 2003, there was a plan of testing RFID transponders embedded into tiers. Manufactures offered RFID enabled tires to carmakers. Their primary purpose is tire tracking in compliance with the United States Transportation?s, Recall, Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act (TREAD Act). Cards embedded with RFID chips are widely used as electronic cash Octopus cards in Hong Kong is the best example. Similar type is also used in Netherlands and United Kingdom. Implantable RFID ?chips?, being used and contemplated for humans as well. Applied Digital solutions proposes their chips ?mine under-the-skin format? as a solution to identify fraud, secure, building access, computer access, storage of medical records, anti-kidnapping initiatives and a variety of law- enforcement applications. Barcelona and Spain use an implantable verichip to identify their VIP customers, who in turn use it to pay for drinks. The Mexico city police department has implanted approximately 170 of their police officers with the verichip, to allow access to police databases and possibility track them in case of kidnapping.

Thus RFID adoption is in early stages worldwide and India is not far behind the global market. Chitale Dairy Farm located at Bhilawadi, which produces more than 60 million

liters of milk annually. This farm uses RFID technology to effectively track the feeding, milking and breeding information relating to buffaloes.

The potential uses of RFID in Indian Environment can be discussed as follows:

1) RFID technology to mange pilgrims queues especially in Tirupathi and other busy devotional centers on special occasions such a ? Brahmotsavas? in Tirupathi, Puri, Jagannath Chariot Festival. Similarly at different booking centers such as cinema theatres, railway booking counters, bus ticket counters, at passport offices either to get applications /forms/verification/issue or renewal of passports.

2) Important potential applications can be capturing the movement of freight. If two trains are coming on the same track they can exchange RFID signals to avoid accidents. It can also be used to locate the train on its route in real time.(Rajesh Narang, Chief Systems Managers, Center for Railway Information System)

3) Sundaram Srinivasan, practice head, RFID Wipro technologies has opined ?For retailers with distribution centers and manufacturers with warehouses deploying RFID for inbound and outbound operations can help them improve internal supply, increase efficiency, reduce operations cost and provide better inventory visibility with distribution centers and retails back stores. Further it is said that in the pharma industry RFID is used to reduce counterfeiting by maintaining drug pedigree. It also saves s lot of time and money product recall situations.

4) T. S. Rangarajan, head, RFID solutions group, TCS says that wrist bands or loyalty cards for patients can help in reducing waiting times for patients in hospitals to be served by doctors, investigators and other service staff. It will culminate the need for standing or waiting in queues and enable patient to move about freely and to be informed when the service is ready to be provided. It will also enable segmentation of patients for differential service levels based on the category to which the patient belongs.

5) Further, the pharma tracking of drugs can be a critical application in a country where counterfeiting is a huge problem. If all the drugs in the country are tagged then the problem of superiors drugs can be easily overcome.

6) Kris Gopalakrishnan, COO and Dy Managing Director, Infosys Technologies has viewed that RFID can be of significant strategic value in India in many different sectors:

a) Improving the complex distribution and supply system for : i) Indian defense operations, ii) food supplies as a part of public distribution system and iii) Indian Postal services

b) Improving tracking logistics and planning operations of Indian Railways/ state Public Transport Agencies

c) Implementing automatic toll collections on the vast network of highways being constructed across India

6) The U.S. State Department says all U.S. passports issued starting in October 2006 will contain RFID chips.

7) A group of children in Yokohama City wears active tags to keep them safe on their way to and from school.

8) South African RFID technology develop says it has developed a technology enabling a single low-cost reader to pinpoint the location of any RFID tag within read range.

Thus there is no area where RFID is not applicable, which implies RFID can be a pervasive technology. Thus in a nutshell the benefits of RFID can be stated as follows:

a) Product security and Quality

b) Real time inventory visibility (a check can be seen an unwanted qauntitities)

c) Exhaustive information about product and

d) Better mans of accountability

Factors Adverse for the adoption of RFID Technology

a) Expensive technology: RFID tags at present costs between $1 and $10. Specialized tags costs still more may be $100. Passive tags are available at 30 cents to $1. Indians feel the prices are too high to adopt the technology at mass level.

b) Other inhibitions including:

a) Uncertainty about standards

b) Read errors due to technology. Environmental factors

c) Lack of awareness

d) Technology issues

e) Environmental /process related factors include: Active /Passive, Frequency; low/high frequency tags, Mental proximity reverts the radio frequency, Liquid items tend to absorb the radio frequencies thus making it impossible for the reader to comprehend them, read range depends on the power of the antenna and read accuracy, Level of security, Size, Anti- clone/ Anti collision functionality, Humidity and temperature, Interference, Type/class of tags (Read only/Read write/WORM- write once, read many), Reader type, Meet for Multiplex (allowing a reader to have more than one antenna also preventing antennas from obstructing each other), Antenna size/design and placement, Tag orientation.

f) The use of RFID technology has engendered considerable controversy and even product boycotts. The four main privacy concerns regarding RFID are : i)The purchase of an item will not necessarily be aware of the presence of the tag or be able to remove it. ii) The tag can be read at a distance without the knowledge of the individuals, iii) If a tagged item is paid for by the credit card or in conjunction with the use of loyalty card, then it would be possible to the unique ID of that item to the identity of the purchase, iv) The EPC global System of tags create or are proposed to create, globally unique serial numbers for all products though this creates privacy problems and is completely unnecessary for most applications.

Strategies for the rapid adoptions of RFID

1. Big retail formats are growing in India and hence RFID technology can be used for reaping the advantages identified in the above pages.

2. During March 2005, wireless planning and coordinating wing, Ministry Of Communications and Information Technology, Govt of India had issued a notification for the use of wireless equipment in the band 865-867 MHz. As per the notice, no license is required to establish, maintain, work, and possess the tags and their uses.

3. Research is going on the substitution of cheap or cost effective material to make the technology, for example, use of nanotechnology makes the RFID technology cheaper.

4. Govt. of India should bring a policy to make the use of the technology compulsorily in certain sectors namely,

a) Education sector; universities and institutions should use the technology on the certificates by recording the basic details of that student hence it becomes easy for verification and there is no scope for manipulation.

b) Pharma sector; to avoid fake medicine brands standard companies can use this technology.

c) Election Commission to issue voter ID cards, to avoid others to vote, this technology is very much useful.

d) For very expensive goods such as jewelry, costly wrist watches, diamonds etc also, the manufacturers can use this technology, to avoid duplication in the market.

CONCLUSION

Thus RFID technology can have its use in each and every sector it?ll be difficult to say a particular aspect where it cannot be applicable. The main thing to be considered is cost, considering its pervasiveness The Govt.of India should take steps to make the technology available at a low cost by way of subsidy.

References

1. Financial Express, July-Dec, 2005
2. The Economic Times, July-Dec, 2005
3. Data Quest, Jan- Dec, 2005

Author is Asst. Professor, Deccan School of Management, Osmania University, Hyderabad and can be contacted at tdbabu17@rediffmail.com

RFID Companies

In any rapidly emerging market sector, there are companies that proceed with bold plans but fail to achieve their targets. Then there are those that calmly build lucrative businesses. As far as RFID (radio frequency identification) is concerned, many companies are re-evaluating their policies after disappointment, while others are succeeding.

The internet is the best source of searching for RFID companies. Some examples are Baxtek Solutions, Datex Corporation, Kornyk Computer Solutions International, Inc., The L D S Corporation, and Miles Technologies, Inc. Productivity of RFID operations can change by market sector, label frequency, and position in the value chain. In RFID, profitability is not associated with the size of the market, but many people are attracted to the largest markets despite the success rate being low. Also, customer reluctance may cause prices to decrease.

Also, technical problems may cause an even graver situation. There is a high probability that companies having good positions with expert technology and business acquaintances will prosper. Some examples of sectors having prevalent RFID activities are airlines and airports, animals and farming, books, libraries and archiving, financial security and safety, healthcare, land and sea logistics, and postal services.

There is also an idea of disruptive technology. In management terminology, it is the latest scientific innovation, item, or service that can ultimately capsize the existing technology. At first, disruptive aids frequently perform worse, but they can control an existing market by playing a role that older technologies could not play or by improving performance. The RFID industry is presently unconcerned about printed RFID because it is not ready and cannot meet the increasingly more intricate specifications being written. However, there is a need for writing an uncomplicated specification for item level RFID, and printed electronics is likely to be the most economical. Printed RFID can be a big disruptive technology in RFID. Obviously, companies working on it would be technologically more advanced.

In general, the RFID industry complies with the laws of the marketplace and by taking them into consideration, losses can be avoided.

RFID provides detailed information on RFID, RFID Tracking, RFID Tags, RFID Technology and more. RFID is affiliated with DNA Testing Services.

RFID Benefits

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can be applied at several levels, and it ensures improved communication and efficiency. It can be used to identify, follow, and spot known objects or people and can be utilized in catalog management, asset tracking, security and loss prevention, preservation, rental equipment, and operations.

RFID technology does not necessitate reading line-of-sight access. An RFID tag can activate security alarm systems, if removed from its proper location, and it is not orientation-sensitive. Also, it can hold more information than merely a unique product code, and, hence, each item can be independently labeled or tagged. Furthermore, RFID tag data is all-inclusive, distinctive or common in parts, and is compatible with data processing. With right technology, a plurality of tags can be read at the same time. An RFID tag has two types - read-only and read-write. Each RFID tag is distinct, and hence, these tags can act as a security feature if lost or stolen.

RFID technology has a very sophisticated level of data integrity in the form of character check sum encoding, and it provides an excellent security and product authentication. An RFID tag is more difficult to counterfeit than a barcode. Not only this, the supporting data infrastructure can facilitate data recovery and product tracking anywhere. RFID technology has the ability to monitor shelf life, which is especially advantageous in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

RFID is a robust technology and can be used in hostile surroundings. It has provisions for regular upgrading, for example, as a car goes through its life, its service record can be logged with the car by electronic means. A day-to-day example in which this technology can be useful is implanting it into a suit so that when it is sent to cleaners, it automatically finds the right cleaning method to be applied. There exists a program, called the RFID pilot program, which provides a low-risk approach for determining possible necessities, process changes, prices, profits, impact, and hazards of implementing RFID in a real-world customer environment.

RFID provides detailed information on RFID, RFID Tracking, RFID Tags, RFID Technology and more. RFID is affiliated with DNA Testing Services.

 

RFID Technology Simplifies Distribution

Toronto, ON, Nov, 2006 - There are many applications for how RFID systems help manufacturers and warehouse operations; these applications can be as unique as the enterprise they help. However, there are some common areas in these industries related to their logistics of getting the finished product to the customer or to another distribution center. Bottlenecking of the goods at the shipping door has implications on the costs to ship goods, lowers revenues when there are fewer shipped goods to bill and puts a drag on productivity gains you have made in other areas of the enterprise.

As product moves onto pallets, cases, boxes or whatever the means of preparing it for shipment, an RFID tag is read that is attached to the pallet, as an example. With the appropriate applications software, then all relevant data is transposed onto the tag, the inventory of product, which customer it is for, delivery information, the method of transportation, etc.

Once that pallet passes through a specific point at a shipping dock, then the tag is read and the contents of the data loaded earlier gets processed into the enterprise software. This in turn will generate invoices, initiate courier tracking, adjusts inventories, initiates material purchases to name just some of the impact RFID can have for your day-to-day business. Gone too are many of the headaches associated with bottlenecks in the shipping process such as verifying shipments against the bill-o-lading while drivers queue up for their pick-ups, the potential for human error in getting the wrong product on the wrong truck.

The ability to ship manufactured or warehoused goods efficiently and with less cost is what RFID technology can deliver to your business. To learn more, please contact GAO RFID Inc. at sales@gaorfid.com or visit our Web site at www.gaorfid.com.

About GAO RFID Inc
GAO RFID Inc., a member of GAO Group, was spun out from GAO Tek (formerly GAO Engineering) in July, 2006 as a result of its fast growing RFID business and its further heavy investment in this exciting market. GAO RFID has established itself as one of world??s most influential suppliers of RFID products, particularly RFID tags, labels, and readers. GAO emphasizes on product quality. Read More...

Contact
GAO RFID Inc.
(416)-292-0038
marketing@gaorfid.com

Zhen Dong
WowGao Inc.
601 Milner Ave, 2nd Floor
Toronto , Ontario
M1B 1M8
Phone: 1-416-292-0038 ext. 812
Media@wowgao.com http://www.wowgao.com

 

Work in Progress Monitoring Using RFID

Toronto, ON, September, 2006 - The ability of any enterprise to effectively monitor it's manufacturing facility and work in progress has been an elusive or costly endeavor. However, with the introduction of RFID technologies and its application to the manufacturing process such initiatives are now well within reach.

RFID by its very nature has the ability to read tags or labels over distances and multiple or batches simultaneously. Other RFID initiatives provide the ability to write data to a tag multiple times.

A proposed solution to accurately monitor work in progress on the manufacturing floor of Aerospace companies can be described as follows:

Each manufacturing operation step is installed with an RFID reader.

The unique ID for each reader provides the enterprise with a granular representation of the shop floor.

Each piece of work or component is affixed with a tag (or in the instance of palletized small pieces, the pallet can be tagged and read and the software would determine the pieces used per operation)

When a piece arrives for machining or processing the tag is read and the unique ID is time and date stamped and sent to the database.

The workflow software will then provide the means by which the work in progress can be monitored and associated with specific job orders.

The ability to see work in progress at any given time will have beneficial results in that sales people will be able to communicate more accurate ETAs on placed orders. Production managers can use the information to assess production bottlenecks and validate the accuracy of lean manufacturing initiatives. To learn more, please visit www.gaotek.com

About GAO Tek Inc GAO Tek Inc. is the leading provider of RFID, engineering development tools, test and measurement instruments and electronic components that serve the needs of electronic design engineers in the world.

Contact
GAO RFID Inc.
(416)-292-0038
marketing@gaorfid.com

Zhen Dong
WowGao Inc.
601 Milner Ave, 2nd Floor
Toronto , Ontario
M1B 1M8
Phone: 1-416-292-0038 ext. 812
Media@wowgao.com http://www.wowgao.com

RFID a short introduction

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) as the name sugests this technology is basicaly based on the power of Radio waves ie there ease of use and data carrying ablity. Mario Cardullo's U.S. Patent in 1973 was the first true ancestor of modern RFID which tells us that it is a young technology.

How it works - Basicaly there are two different parts First is the transpondera(tag) the other is the receiver. These two are a slightly confusing words as the receiver which receives data from the RF tag is the one which is transmiting Radio waves which are used to comunicate and power up by the RF Tag (incase of Passive Tags).

The Tag contains the data and the reciver is basicaly like an antena which is conected to some sort of controler to which it transmits the data.

RFID can be largly calssified into two types 1) Passive 2) Active

Passive RFID tags have no internal power supply. They rely for power on the incident RF waves for power, the tags convert the RF waves into power with the help of a coil, this is then used to transmit back the data in the chip to the reader using what is know as backscattering

Active RFID tags have batteries inside them and this makes them more reliable and more powerfull. The range of these tags increases dramaticaly.

The Problems faced by RFID is that radio waves cannot travle through metal, also radiowaves find it hard to travle through water.

RFID can be used for a lot of application from complete inventory system managment, to college management.

For more info you can log on to www.insigniasecure.com

i`m working in RFID Technolgy for insignia security systems in India. In this article i`m trying to present a simple introduction to RFID.

RFID Solutions for Library Systems

Institutional (academic) libraries and public libraries face growing challenges in managing the assets of their collection and maintaining or improving service levels to patrons.

Over the past twenty years, libraries have grown their services to their patrons from simply offering books and periodicals to now adding multi-media items such as videos, CDs and DVDs. Add to this the fact that many libraries provide patrons computers to access the Internet as another source for information. Throughout this growth in material resources offered by libraries there are also growing concerns on the security of the collection assets and maintaining (or improving) service levels to the patrons. Throughout this time, many municipalities and institutions who manage our library systems have sought ways to reduce operating budgets (cut staff) to offset the growing capital costs of the multi-media resources and computer hardware.

For the concerns that library managers face each day, RFID technology brings solutions that magnetic stripe or barcode technology simply cannot deliver as effectively. The RFID tag is assigned and attached to the asset in similar ways, depending on the material, paper, plastics, etc. The advantages of RFID tags over barcode or magnetic stripe are as follows:

Faster scanning of the data stored on the RFID tag,

Simple and easy way for patrons to self-checking for material loans and returns,

Superior detection rates,

Significantly reduce the number of false alarms at the exit sensors (up to 75% less)

High speed inventory - reducing time to by staff for 'shelf-reading' and other inventory activities,

Automated return of materials that speeds up sorting of materials and re-shelving for the next patron to access and

A longer lifecycle than a barcode.

A GAO RFID Solution:

Each library system is unique and therefore the challenges you face are unique. We make the effort to understand your circumstance and with this knowledge we assist you in finding the most cost-effective ways to develop RFID technology in your library systems to improve productivity of staff, reduce capital budgets and provide a better experience and service to the library patrons. For more information on how GAO RFID can assist your library system, please write to us at info@gaorfid.com or call us at (416) 292-0038, ext. 601.

WOWGAO Technology solutions team WowGao Inc. 601 Milner Ave, 2nd Floor Toronto , Ontario M1B 1M8 Phone: 1-416-292-0038 ext. 812 Media@wowgao.com http://www.wowgao.com

Business RFID Strategy

Toronto, ON, August, 2006 - An RFID strategy provides an outline to use the technology aligned with an enterprise's strategic visions and goals. A business that strives to be a model of efficiency could use RFID to streamline the operations is a typical example. The RFID strategy is applicable whether big or small business because RFID is going to be found anywhere in the near future.

An uniform strategy is not going to work generally that means the businesses must create their own unique RFID strategy. In addition, any business has to determine how RFID can create value that is aligned with its strategic directions, meeting customer RFID mandates are within the tolerable cost and risk ranges.

Do not mistake the creation of an RFID strategy for a needless corporate process that you can short-circuit to delve right into the excitement of implementation. Such a short-circuited implementation, although perhaps successful in the eyes of the implementers, might come to be viewed as a failure or useless by other parts of the business. Post-implementation use of the technology might be questioned, leading to frustration and demoralization of the technology supporters. You can avoid these types of situation by ensuring the comprehensive RFID strategy.

The fundamental reasons for establishing an RFID strategy include determining the various impacts of RFID technology, ensuring basic understanding and buy-in from senior management, deployment strategies, and other policies can drive and guaranteeing cross-functional support.

RFID is a tool that business must apply thoughtfully to realize its benefits. Otherwise, the use of the technology might turn out to be a deficit spending. For example, operational efficiencies might go down, cost might rise, resulting in lost revenue and missed opportunities. Therefore, businesses gain by not using RFID technology before determine how best to use it and how that use will impact their processes and personnel. When decision makers do decide to deploy RFID, a comprehensive strategy enables them to validate its use via justification analysis and pilot implementation results. Thus, enterprises can focus on areas that align properly with their line of business and that promise the maximum return on investment while significantly eliminating misdirected efforts.

An RFID strategy can show the potential benefits of using the technology at a level that can be viewed, analyzed, and understood by senior decision makers. In general, each decision maker has his own special interests and priorities. The viability of a plan in the long run depends on how these people perceive the plan and understand its benefits for them in their individual endeavors. Therefore, an RFID strategy should cater to a broader set of interests rather than seek to satisfy the minor needs. The best way to achieve this goal is to create a strategy that aligns with the core competencies and strategic direction of the business instead of focusing on isolated areas of benefit. Such an integrated plan, when validated and supported at the highest level of decision making that can provide a path of realization that is less cluttered with internal politics, funding nightmares, and deployment-decision delays. The implementation of a successful RFID system being as nontrivial as it gets, having these elements under control will enable control will enable the adopters to focus on solution delivery, which is by no means a small achievement in a business environment. In addition, an RFID strategy ensures that if the technology meets the benefit expectations, it will be assimilated into the other parts of business in the long run.

An RFID strategy can drive the next level of activities, such as estimating the technology benefits, estimating the cost of implementation and creating a deployment strategy. The outcome of some of these activities can provide further evidence to validate the strategy objectively. Indeed, the strategy needs to be validated periodically from the results of the adoption efforts. Such validation can help the proposer support his credibility and can strengthen the case for use of RFID in the business.

For a business, the RFID strategy provides an enterprise-level plan that aligns with overall business goals and strategies. When formulated at this level, a RFID strategy offers benefits to the widest range of interested parties and facilitates buy-in from senior management. It is strongly recommended that you have a RFID strategy in place before attempting any effort to deploy the technology. You can use an RFID strategy to drive action plans for an enterprise RFID policy, implementation, and technology rollout. To learn more, please visit www.gaorfid.com

About GAO RFID Inc GAO RFID Inc., a member of GAO Group, was spun out from GAO Tek (formerly GAO Engineering) in July, 2006 as a result of its fast growing RFID business and its further heavy investment in this exciting market. GAO RFID has established itself as one of world??s most influential suppliers of RFID products, particularly RFID tags, labels, and readers. GAO emphasizes on product quality. Read More...

Contact GAO RFID Inc. (416)-292-0038 marketing@gaorfid.com

Contact Name: Ronnie Sant

Title: Marketing Coordinator

Address: 601 Milner Avenue, 2nd Floor. Toronto, Ontario. M1B 2K4 Canada

Corporate Phone: 1-416-292-0038 Corporate Fax: 1-416-292-2364

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