Radio Frequency Identification RFID

RFID Tags - Smart Idea or Invasion of Privacy?

2008-05-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-23T02:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-22T03:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-20T05:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-16T00:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-12T02:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-09T04:06:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-07T01:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-06T04:27:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-02T02:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-01T04:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

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

http://www.wowgao.com attendee@wowgao.com

RFID And Logistics Management

2008-04-10T04:09:00.001-07:00

Logistics assets that have a circular flow are an essential part of the distribution network of any business. These assets are often reusable such as totes, racks, bins and roll cages, shipping containers, gas containers etc. used to transport goods from one place to another. Procuring, maintaining and managing these assets often forms a significant part of a company?s annual expenses. Since theft, damage and replacement erode asset productivity, these assets have to be managed in such a way as to minimize loss as possible. That is when RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) and logistics management comes into effect.

Using RFID to Manage Assets:

Businesses have resorted to using radio frequency identification devices come in handy. These devices or tags are helpful in locating these reusable assets as well as have control over them. This greatly reduces loss due to theft as well as misplacements. It is also useful in locating particular containers containing specific products etc. Their use has greatly reduced costs such as replacement costs as well as avoiding shrinkage. It has also helped reduce capital costs, increase customer satisfaction, as well as ensuring the assets are in the correct place at the right time. An added advantage is the reusability of these tags, so companies, which want greater control over assets and their management, have opted to use RFID and logistics management techniques. Using RFID and logistics management strategies will serve to improve capital utilization lower the total operational costs as well as improve the availability of assets. The use of these asset management techniques has improved customer retention significantly. This technique will help improve visibility of assets in transit, availability management of much needed assets, transportation management etc. these techniques have to be reviewed periodically to ascertain if they have effected a significant change as also to take necessary action where required.

The use of RFID and logistic management techniques are especially useful for manufacturers, where parts bins feed parts in an automated plant, since the placement of the right part in the right place is critical. The company can use these techniques in areas where they have expertise whereas professional help can be sought for areas where they lack control such as transportation, delivery, pick up etc.

Companies should consider implementing RFID and logistics management techniques, as they will greatly benefit from it. It will reduce cost, increase control and availability, decrease chances of loss of assets due to various factors as well as prove to be very economical. Most of them are currently using manual techniques, which is not as efficient as RFID. They have to understand that asset management will be a key factor in improving customer satisfaction as well as help in customer retention.

Many firms offer professional help as well as products to run a business efficiently and effectively.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

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RFID Tags

2008-04-10T04:06:00.000-07:00

When RFID tags started gaining popularity the general view was that they would revolutionize the world and the industry. However, it did not happen and people were not so fast to accept RFID technology and its advantages. Nonetheless. RFID technology has evolved and new advances in this industry have been made.

The RFID industry is designing better systems and tags while ensuring the cost factor for both active and passive RFID tags reduce. It is a lot cheaper today to take advantage of RFID technology than it was ten years ago. The RFID tags have become smaller in size and have better batteries.

However, RFID technology is still a long way from taking the world by storm. If we take RFID tag use in Wal-Mart, one will realize that this giant uses it minimally. While Gillette?s dream for distribution and robotic factories has not been realized. Still, Gillette and the US military are taking this technology seriously and trying to find ways of using it better and more effectively.

The real challenge for the RFID industry, many say, could be the inability of the industry to produce the tags and readers cheaply and quickly on labels. If this can be done, then it would bring the RFID tags and readers at level with the bar code industry and will enable the retail industry to effectively use this technology. At the moment RFID technology is more popular with shipping and transporting companies to keep a track on consignment.

With companies like Horizon Components who have taken the RFID technology beyond the realms of shipping and transporting companies, the future for RFID technology is bright and optimistic. It will be real soon when we see this technology being a part of our day to day life.

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Nissan Chooses WhereNet Locatable Active RFID System

2008-04-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

Nissan North America, Inc. announced earlier that it will be using WhereNet Locatable real-time locating system (RTLS) technology to automate both its inbound supply chain and outbound delivery chain.

The automaker partners with WhereNet Corp., a leader of wireless solutions, to strengthen continuous improvement initiative at its four-million square foot assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi. Said partnership is aimed at improving the North American vehicle production, labor productivity, and auto parts Nissan quality.

"Amidst soaring demand and several new model introductions each year, the WhereNet system gives Nissan the agility to manage its inbound supply chain on a just-in-time basis to support flexible manufacturing processes. In addition, WhereNet assists on the outbound side by automating predelivery processes to bring more new vehicles to the marketplace faster," said Chantal Polsonetti, vice president of manufacturing advisory services for ARC Advisory Group.

The Canton assembly plant of the automaker is capable of producing 400,000 vehicles annually. It assembles Nissan Maxima auto parts and other significant vehicles of the automaker. Nissan Altima sedan, Armada and Infiniti QX56 SUVs, Quest minivan, and Titan full-size pickup truck are also produced in said plant.

"As one of the most efficient vehicle manufacturers in North America -- according to the 2006 Harbour Report -- Nissan is setting the standard for manufacturing by embracing new technologies like WhereNet to continuously improve processes," said Tom Bacon, vice president of the automotive division for WhereNet. "WhereNet's locatable active RFID system provides a critical foundation for flexible manufacturing as it enables automakers to manage multiple models with meticulous precision, ensuring that the right part is delivered to the assembly line just in time. In addition to helping manufacturers maintain a lean inbound supply chain, WhereNet also drives efficiency on the outbound side, accelerating delivery of new vehicles to dealers through our industry-first, automated VTMS solution."

In the partnership with WhereNet, Nissan also expects to reduce labor cost, on-site dwell time for parts and vehicles, improve responsiveness to customers, and to produce high-quality vehicles as ensured by the system. This is because the system also immediately detects quality defects in vehicles hence; rework costs will be prevented.

As a manager of one of the largest auto store in Springfield,Massachusetts, Sarah has extensive expertise on auto parts and automotives in general. This 42 year old is a certified car enthusiast.

RFID - A Gift From The Past

2008-03-31T01:48:00.001-07:00

RFID technology that is being used by companies world over has been around us since 1920s. Many companies are using RFID tags which are embedded in many products to store and retrieve data and information. These tags have tiny antennae that allow them to send a signal to an RFID reader or receiver.

There are primarily two types of RFID tags ? Active Tag and Passive Tag.

Active RFID Tag An active RFID tag has its own power supply and as a result can be used to receive information from a greater distance. Active RFID tags can also store information Batteries of some active RFID tags can last for as long as 10 years.

Passive RFID Tag In contrast, passive RFID tag does not have its own power supply. This type of RFID tag receives its power supply from an electrical current in the antenna that is produced as a result of the incoming radio frequency scan. A passive RFID tag can be used for sending and receiving information and data over a short distance only.

Nowadays RFID tags and readers are omnipresent. You will find RFID technology in bookstores and CD shops. It is used as an anti theft device. If a book or a CD has not been scanned, then it is the RFID technology that starts the alarm. RFID technology is being used in car alarms and car locking systems. Even animal are being tagged with RFID tags to keep a check on their whereabouts. This is specially true for wildlife where scientists keep a record of animals. A future use of RFID technology will be with prisoners. It is envisioned that prisoners could wear RFID tags to keep a watch on their movements and whereabouts.

There is immense use for RFID technology in today?s world and soon more and more companies and industries will start using this technology once the importance is realized.

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2007 Trends in RFID Tags (Radio Frequency Identification Tags)

2008-03-31T01:47:00.001-07:00

Most folks have heard of RFID tags or radio-frequency identification tags and some folks are concerned about electronic security and Big Brother syndrome that this new technology might lead too. Many of those incited by the sound and fury over RFID Tags do not want large corporations or to the government to know every single thing they do and everywhere they go or everything that they buy. However, RFID tags will indeed help consumers and the citizenry by lowering costs of all the products and services that are delivered due to creating a more efficient distribution system.

The economies of scale will lower costs and provide people with a higher standard of living and a better quality of life. Indeed, RFID distribution-streamlining strategies for companies like Wal-Mart show big promises. Even the US military is using RFID tags to help streamline its logistics flows and track shipments now. Protecting our ports and cargo containers can be done with active RFID tags. As this technology increases in performance it will serve a much greater market and have applications in nearly every Industry Sector.

When first introduced RFID showed much promise and yet some of the earliest adopters were somewhat under whelmed, yet now due to demand RFID tags are meeting the challenges of company?s needs. In fact today passive RFID tags can be read from further distances and the costs have come down significantly. RFID tags can now be printed on a computer printer and stuck to packages as labels thus getting closer to replacing some Bar Code Technologies.

We as a society should discuss the future of RFID and how this will affect the way we do business and live, without the conspiracy theorists and background noise, which does not understand the value of this technology. Perhaps this article is of interest to propel thought in 2007?

Lance Winslow, a retired entrepreneur, adventurer, modern day philosopher and perpetual tourist.

RFID Solution to Counterfeit Products

2008-03-29T02:15:00.000-07:00

RFID, Radio Frequency Identification of products and the Internet makes it possible to insure that any single product can only be sold once. Cryptography is not necessary to insure that a once only sold item is not a counterfeit.

If a product can be tracked from the producer to the end user with a unique identification, and a data base maintained when that product is sold, then it is a simple matter to prevent counterfeiting. The pharmaceutical companies and their customers would benefit greatly by solving the counterfeit problem.

When a product is scanned at the sales counter, that information would be sent to the company data base and recorded as sold. If that identification were ever reported as sold again, it would then be flagged as counterfeit. If an identification were reported as sold that was not produced by that company, it would be flagged as counterfeit. This process could be used through the entire distribution chain to insure that counterfeit product are not introduced at the distribution level. When the same identification shows up in two different locations then it would signal that one of them was counterfeit.

If the retailer scans the product and reports the transaction to the company that produced the product, the buyer could be assured that the product is genuine.

Cryptography is useless because anyone with the right equipment can copy or produce the Data Security Tag. So just being able to read the tag does not insure that it is not a counterfeit. You would have to know if that was in fact produced by whom you think produced it and know that there is not another one out there waiting to be sold or already sold.

This solution is only valid for products that should be sold to the end user once, such as pharmaceuticals. I would hope that if pharmaceutical companies are not already studying this approach, they would do so now so that I can be assured that I will get what I pay for.

I have started writing as a hobby and plan to write about my life, work, hobbies, region and many other things of interest to me and maybe others will enjoy also.

For more information on caving, improving your service department and many other subjects, Please visit my web site at:

hubertcrowell.name

Radio Frequency Identification Device - RFID

2008-03-28T01:36:00.001-07:00

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the utilization of radio waves to recognize the objects. Unlike barcode, in RFID one can find a product without virtually coming in touch with it. The tracking number is stored in a micro-chip, which is connected to the aerial. The chip is then enables to put on the air any tracking data to the receiver. Finally the information will be converted into a digital format, which is read by the computers.

A usual RFID tag holds a microchip attached to an aerial escalated on a substrate. The data storage capacity of a chip ranges from 64 bits to 2 kilobytes. For e.g., information about a manufactured goods or consignment-date of production, and destination, can be downloaded to a tag.

A reader is necessary to recover the data stored on an RFID tag. A reader is a device, which has one or more aerials that releases radio wave and take delivery of signals reversed from the RFID tag. The reader then forwards the data into digital form to attached computer.

RFID Advantage

Whether you are related to tracking record in a warehouse or keeping a large bunch of apparel assortments, there is a requirement of a completely automated data receiving and evaluation system which will help out to sustain track of precious assets and equipments. RFID technology offers exclusive solutions to hard data tracking of record or equipment- specifically in applications, where optical based systems not succeed and when write/read capabilities are necessary. The technology is constantly developing, with unlocked designs becoming more and more accessible.

Benefits of RFID vs. Barcode

The barcode's optical nature needs labels which can be detected by lasers. The straight line between reader and labels is usually difficult, not practical, or even unfeasible to attain in industrial atmosphere. In a move to achieve proper functionality, a barcode reader requires clean and clear optics, label must be spotless and free of scratch, and the label and reader must be rightly oriented to each other. On the other hand, RFID technology makes tag enabled to read from a larger distance, even in worst environments.

Additionally, the data imprinted on a barcode is set and cannot be distorted. On the other side, RFID tags have electronic memory as same as to the common computer or digital camera to hold data and this can changed or updated dynamically.

RFID presents particular features which are not accessible with any other automatic identification technologies. Albeit, not all RFID systems offer every single feature, following are few common advantages of RFID.

. Enduring identification or read/write ability
. Do not require contact or straight sight line for reading
. Practical resistance from incomprehensible paint, dirt etc.
. Automated functioning
. Broad range of tag alternatives and frequencies
. Reading capability ranges from few inches to several feet
. Tremendously high data reliability

RFID Applications can be used in many trades other than retail, which includes animal recognition, supple production (tracking and control), laundry tracking, asset identification, and many many more.

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RFID: The New Technology

2008-03-28T01:35:00.001-07:00

Origin of RFID tags

Leon Theremin is thought to be the first user or inventor of this device as the inevitable part of spy-kit for the Russian Government in 1945. This cannot be a reliable story: the tool invented by Theremin was a passive covert listening device and not an identification tag. The technology applied in RFID has actually been since the early 1920s. The IFF transponder, a much more relevant technology, developed in 1939 and the British utilised it during the Second World War to detect airplanes whether they were friends or foes.

What is RFID?

RFID is an all-encompassing expression for technologies that employ radio waves to recognize people or objects automatically. After storing a serial number or other identification data on the chip connected to an antenna, user can use a reader to receive radio waves from the chip and convert the signal into digital information, which can be passed over to computers and be used of.

This technology finds its maximum usage in payment systems, access control and asset tracking. For instance, the logistics industry often uses it in making out large cargos.

RF technology has a widespread use in many areas of electronics and technology such as television, radio, cellular phones, radar and automatic identification systems. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) provides Automatic Identification of items by using radio frequency signals. RFID is used in various applications like toll collection (electronic), railway car identification and tracking, intermodal container identification, asset identification and tracking, item management for retail, health care and logistics applications national, access control, animal identification, fuel dispensing loyalty programmes, automobile immobilizing and so on.

Radio Frequency (RF) makes mention of electromagnetic waves with a wavelength that fit to use in radio communication. Categorized by their frequencies, radio waves are indicated in kilohertz, megahertz or gigahertz. Radio frequencies range from very low frequency (VLF), which has a range of 10 to 30 kHz, to extremely high frequency (EHF), which has a range of 30 to 300 GHz.

RFID - An Outline

RFID is the fittest and supple technology for automatic operation due to its resilience. It offers benefits not available in other identification technologies. RFID can function under various environmental situations and offers a high quality of data integrity. Moreover, since the technology is hard to simulate, it gives advanced level of security.

Essentially RFID is not different from bar coding. Bar code uses a reader and coded labels that are attached to an item, whereas RFID employs a reader and special RFID tools that are connected to an item. To transmit information from the label to reader, Bar code makes use of optical signals but RFID uses RF signals for the same.

Radio waves communicate between an item to which an RFID device is attached and an RFID reader. The tool can have information of the item, such as what the item is, what time a device takes to travel through a particular area, even a parameter such as temperature. Practically, RFID tools such as a tag or label can be connected to anything - from a vehicle to a pallet of products.

RFID technology uses frequencies within the range of 50 kHz to 2.5 GHz. An RFID system incorporates following parts:

. An RFID tool that accommodates data about an item.

. An antenna used to transfer the RF signals between the reader and the RFID device.

. An RFID transceiver that generates the RF signals.

. A reader that gets RF transmissions from an RFID tool and forward the data to a host system for processing.

Moreover, an RFID system includes application-specific software.

Types of RFID tags

RFID tags have two types: active or passive.

Passive RFID tags are lacking in power supply of their own whereas Active RFID tags are full with power source and may have extensive ranges and sizable memories than passive tags and they have more space to accommodate extra data sent by transceiver. Today, one can find the smallest active tags in the size of a coin.

Passive RFID tags are more in use because their manufacturing cost is cheaper and they are not dependent on battery. Apart from cost advantages, there is nothing special in Passive Tags and exactness and reliability of Active Tags make the use of Active Tags common today. Classified by their radio frequency, there are four types of tags in use viz. low frequency, high frequency, UHF tags and Microwave tags.

Superiority of RFID to Bar Coding

According to research team, RFID tag has the capacity to store more data including serial number, individual product information and all other information the manufacturers want to insert. Unlike Barcode system, RFID scrutinizes each product individually and does not identify the whole type of product.

RFID technology helps us in spotting any product within a certain distance; we are not required to see the physical existence of product. These plastic-made passive tags are more durable and re-usable.

Usage of RFID Tags

. Low-frequency RFID tags have a widespread use for animal identification, beer keg and automobile key-and-lock, anti-theft systems.

. High-frequency RFID tags are applied in library book or bookstore tracking, pallet tracking, building access control, airline baggage tracking and apparel item tracking. High-frequency tags are extensively used to identify badges and to replace earlier magnetic stripe cards.

. UHF is normally used in pallet and container tracking in commerce and truck and trailer tracking in shipping yards.

. Microwave RFID tags are used in long-range access control for vehicles.

. RFID transceivers can be used in measuring Seismic sensors, making less complicated remote data collection.

. RFID transponders can be embedded into tyres for tyre tracking; RFID chips are useful in cards as electronic cash.

. This system has a new usage as Smart Key; the key fob contains active RFID circuit that identifies the presence of key within 3 feet of sensor. Consequently driver feels free to open the doors and start the engine even if the key remains in driver's purse or pocket. Invented for animal marking, the embeddable RFID chips are used and brooded over for human beings also.

Potential uses

It is visualized that RFID tags would replace UPC or EAN bar codes because the former has many advantages over the barcode system. However, barcodes have their own plus like lower price than RFID and this quality will keep the barcodes roaming in the market.

Present UPC codes are confined to a single code but RFID codes stand on the opposite end, i.e. they are so long that they have unique code. The matchless qualities of RFID tags denote that a product may be separately tracked as it moves from location to location, eventually arriving in the customers' hands. This system helps organizations in fighting against pilfering and other product losses.

RFID in Textile Rental

The primary use of RFID in textile rental has, till the date, centered on automating the garment handling process, including check-in, sorting, and checkout. RFID systems in textile rental can eliminate significant manual labor generating typical ROI under two years. Additionally, RFID systems are extremely accurate and generate significant improvements in customer satisfaction.

Benefits of RFID for Textile rental companies

. Soiled garment check-in can be conducted inside of the delivery bags saving time and increasing accuracy.

. Clean garments can be automatically or semi-automatically sorted saving significant labor costs.

. RFID enables automated customer premises garment collectors and dispensers allowing for further reduction of end-customer costs and increased textile services margins.

RFID in the Fashion Apparel Industry

Many Fashion Apparel & Textile companies - particularly those with a large network of stores - are well underway in terms of streamlining their supply chain and optimising sales forecasts and distribution. They are now looking for ways to enhance revenues and market share by adopting modern ways of managing stores and inventory. RFID has now become a centrepiece in their strategic thinking.

Usefulness of RFID in Textile Supply Chain

We can conclude following advantages from several functions of RFID:

This technology is able to compute the total expenditure of commodities in the clumsy situations automatically. Therefore, it diminishes manoeuvring expenses, accelerates the inspecting process, cuts down faults at the cash register, doubles customer satisfaction and reduces pilfering. With RFID retailers can have an excellent visibility into store operations, which include obtaining back room stock information, stock outs and the locations of inventory in the store. This visibility improves both customer service leads and commodities safety efforts.

Since all the commodities are equipped with the detectors of RFID, retailers are able to have physical confirmation of inventories for number of times everyday or whenever required. Once Inventory counts are created, they can be accomplished within few minutes without any human requirements. Retailers can enjoy the savings of bundle of dollars every year by cutting down physical counts.

Extra security for goods, improvement in the visibility and decrease in the cost of mobile commodities can be offered by RFID tags. They are perfect in sending right commodities to the right place in good time. Effectiveness of Supply Chain not only reduces labour force but also enhances sales.

Items can be labelled and tracked electronically with RFID tags. For instance, asset tracking normally results into better commodity management in stores. RFID has the ability to recognize origins of change and fabrication and can help in removing pilfering.

Benefits

RFID is not new. The challenge has always been to identify when it is appropriate to apply the technology to your particular supply chain model.

The technology itself offers an opportunity to scan many items simultaneously because it does not need individual line of sight for each item. Thus, a pallet arriving in a warehouse with 10 cases is scanned once, reading all 10 cases simultaneously - including the two in the center of the pallet hidden from the human eye.

Additionally, the ability to store more information on a tag than a bar code enables application of the electronic product code (EPC) to identify items uniquely.

Many opportunities across inventory management, batch management and logistics exist. One opportunity with RFID is automating basic tracking of products. Current manual processes require employees to scan and record data as items move. RFID can help automate this. For instance, if a pallet of yarn has a RFID tag on it and your forklift has a RFID reader aboard; your driver has immediate information of the contents of the pallet when he pulls close enough for the reader to communicate with the tag. Based on that, he knows where that pallet belongs. When it is time to load a knitting machine with yarn, RFID helps locate the pallet stored in the warehouse, wherever it may have been moved, and alerts the driver to its current location.

Another benefit is in the area of batch management and quality assurance. For instance, the possibility of mixing lots of yarn on a knitting machine will be reduced, as you now match a particular lot of yarn with the knitting machine and the production order. The reader on the knitting machine will alert the operator if yarn entering its perimeter is incorrect.

Data carrier and communication device need not to be connected physically. For a common garment retailer is happy to know that instead of walking down each lane in the store or warehouse to check inventory, workers can perform their action from the same premises and accomplish the calculation of inventory in minutes.

Read/write capacities can be conducted within the same assembly line or remotely across continents.

Mobile-tracking tools can be reutilised or disposed, as per the requirement of RFID operation.

In proportion to barcode system, which has 2 to 3 percent failure rate, RFID is able to achieve 100% scanning rate when the item is being scanned for the first time.

Numerous tags can be read at the same time. 'Cluster Reading', as the procedure is known, enhances the data piling process significantly.

RFID improves retailer's ability to scan past all sorts of weather and through other surroundings like metals, bodies of water and dirt. This capacity of RFID easily overshadows barcode scanning which normally fails. Total expenses of retailer's scanning procedures are reduced by RFID and since RFID can beef up preciseness and data availability, these reduced expenses will turn into savings of time and money.

Finally, the logistics benefit comes from automating the manifest as a container is being loaded. As a roll of fabric passes through the RFID-enabled dock door to the truck, that roll is automatically added to the manifest. If you were to have the truck pass through a second canopy on the way out of the yard, you can again match what's on the truck with the manifest.

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RFID Remodels Supply Chain Management

2008-03-27T02:26:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine 100% visibility of product in a Supply Chain with RFID tags to whole warehouse? RFID is major advancement in supply chain management. Although large range of applications supported by the radio-frequency identification technology, now supply chain management is on it?s focus. RFID is taught as the ultimate Supply Chain solution that will drive millions if not billions of savings throughout the supply chain and other areas. The question in the air is: Does RFID really has this ?healing? power? From the ordinary process, such as moving goods through loading docks, to the complex, such as managing huge amount of data as information about goods is collected in real time makes RFID as an ultimate supply chain solution.

The way we handle products in the Supply Chain will radically change the transformational RFID technology. It brings transparency in supply chain by cut out-of-stocks, counterfeit and shrinkage. Manpower savings is one of the most important features of the RFID supply chain management system. It is flexible for all kind of applications; range will grow when RFID combined with other sensors.

Initially RFID is used to manage the large amount of goods like pallet and cartoon labels, identification. So RFID tags must have unique serial identifier for each batch of the product at the lading time, on the bill. It makes the less possibility of redundant data entry by scanning the RFID tag. The reason is RFID tag reader can scan many tags during a 1-second period.

There are 2 types of RFID tags: passive and active. When reader reads the passive tag, Reader received the energy through tag?s antenna and transmits the data in the form of energy back. The main reason of widely used passive tags is its low cost.

Active tag uses own power supplies mostly battery and transmit data to the reader. Battery is also used with other devices. For e.g. Active tags may be used with some kind of unpreserved goods that have thermometers to ensure the goods are kept at an acceptable temperature. It is very difficult to standardize the encoding information on RFID intelligent tags for supply chain management for bar codes.

The standards for basic product information is encoded in RFID chips and standard to manage UPC information in bar codes are presented by EPCglobal Inc.

The entire standard for information passing from RFID readers to other applications and from application to application, in supply chain are established by EPCglobal.

These standards becomes useful when goods are ship from one company to company in terms of electronic transaction that will occur in between organization?s enterprise resource planning systems. These standards maintain every time when middleware handles data scanned by an RFID reader as goods enter a warehouse and will pass the data to an enterprise application.

On the other hand it includes costs to the supply chain. But the investment in front of good ROI is not matter in case of RFID solutions.

you can find better RFID supply chain managment system at http://www.agilesense.com

Asset Tracking with RFID Technology

2008-03-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

RFID technology adds a new chapter in asset tracking technology. Now a day when large amount of valuable data, asset and people are needed for big projects, basic need of effective and efficient tracking system is increasing day by day. In this situation RFID technical solutions are being so effective.

Forgetting the thing is the common nature of human being but some times, this nature brought a dreadful condition. But to remember each and every thing is not possible. Asset tracking system helps you to track your important and valuable assets. For this reason there are many products and tracking systems are in the market.

Radio Frequency Identification is a groundbreaking technology for this field. Now there is no need to store whole history and full description about them every time. RFID tags are the simpler way to track them. Every tagged asset can be tracked by interpreting the upcoming radio signals from each tag.

RFID software solutions are used to track the particular server down in a huge data center. To identify and locate the packages in warehouse, warehouse manager add video with the all time favorite RFID intelligent tags.

Supply chain management, manufacturing and retailing are major area where long- range RFID solutions will be available in near future. The Forrester Research, provocatively entitled ?BI Vendors Are Sleeping Through RFID?s Arrival,? by Keith Gile and Philip Russom which includes Cognos, SAS, Business objects (Profile, Product, Articles) and application vendors such as SAP- showed till now, there is no any application specific solution for interpreting RFID data and it may not be possible until 2010.

Asset tracking system with pioneering RFID technology is not so far away from you. At agilesense.com, you can find long range of RFID technical solutions for all kind of your asset tracking needs.

RFID technical solutions for all kind of your asset tracking needs ends at agilesense.com.

RFID Pharmaceutical Services

2008-03-24T02:46:00.001-07:00

RFID Technology also enters in the world of Pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and hospitals to discourage drug counterfeiting. The report of The World Health Organization shows between 5 to 8 percent of global pharmaceuticals is counterfeit. In some countries, It is higher and between 25 to 40 percent.

In the fight against counterfeit drugs RFID have it?s own additional benefits. The pharmaceutical industry runs on the data information of throughout the process of drug trials, manufacturing, distribution and retail sale. RFID is known for it?s tremendous ability to uniquely identify each item and securely capture date without during whole supply chain. Pharmaceutical industry is blessed by RFID technology:

? Supply Chain: RFID has ability to deep insight, visibility and efficiency during the supply chain. RFID present a good chance to provide 100 percent visibility of inventory, making it easier and quicker to handle goods transaction to the right place in the right channel. The technology improves productivity in shipping and receiving, reduce touch labor, increase the assurance of shipping and providing accuracy, and expanding product availability at the retail store, thus reducing customer complaints and charge backs.

? Pharmaceutical responsibility and Brand Protection: Technology helps to reduce the responsibility at every point of supply chain, reduces the inventory losses. Every year 6-10 percent of retail inventory is stolen and diverted. Benefit of the new technology is presented when returns are properly shipped from right manufacturer, at proper price. RFID also helps to prevent "gray market" distribution, which costs companies and their customers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

? Pharmaceutical Product: RFID provides Safety, Recalls, and Regulatory Requirements. RFID take care about the expiration dates and improving expiration management. The technology can store preliminary information that satisfying regulatory requirement. RFID reduce the time spent to identifying products targeted for recall and reducing the likelihood of a mass-market recall of branded products by zeroing individual items and capturing manufacturing data.

RFID technology improves the drug usage tracking during whole clinical-phase testing. Technology Improve the reliability and speed of the United States Food and Drug Administration to drug approval process by improved tracking and accountability. So the use of RFID is going to be standard for pharmaceutical companies.

RFID solution implemented for many more different fields:

? Corporate Security

? Fraud Prevention

? Legal & Regulatory Affairs

? Loss Prevention

? RFID Technology

? Security Operations

? Supply Chain

? Transportation & Distribution

RFID made data maintenance easier. Data Capturing, managing, and reviewing data anywhere and anytime affect your business directly or indirectly. Dynamic maintenance of your huge data and any kind of asset provides you better flexibility.

find more- RFID solutions

The Relationship Between RFID Technology and ID Cards

2008-03-24T02:45:00.001-07:00

The relationship between RFID technology and ID cards is close and personal. While both types of identification work extremely well individually, their efficacy together is amazing. For example, while it is conceivable that even the best ID cards can be forged, or lost and used by unscrupulous individuals, a card using RFID technology offers numerous protections.

If a card is lost, but has an RID tag, it can easily be tracked. While this may not lead to the apprehension of the individual who originally took it, it could lead to the card itself, and any damages could then be reversed.

Another, simpler way that RFID technology helps in the use of ID cards is via readers, the strongest of which can scan information up to thirty meters or more away. This displaces the tedium of a physical reader and allows people in the area to use the system more effectively.

This is especially important in work environments and places like schools with a high volume of people. If people simply have to flash their card at a reader, this speeds up traffic a great deal. Besides work and school environments, RFID technology and ID cards work in many other ways as well.

A scenario that this combination would prove extremely capable at aiding would be traffic crossing tolls on bridges. An ID card could have an RFID tag that would allow for a prepaid toll card. The driver would then flash the card at the reader as they drove by; they would only have to slow down, not stop, and wouldn't have to fumble for change or money.

In fact, RFID tags are used in this way already, although without the ID card, in the Bay Area as an optional payment method for traffic crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Called the 'FasTrak' the tag is mounted in the window and operates on a prepaid system so all the car has to do is slow down to be read and then continue on its way.

The areas in which ID cards and RFID technology can be combined and used are many, and their increasing use together portends greater levels of security for those in work, school and other environments.

DiscountID.com is the worldwide low-price leader in photo ID card printers and security products. For more information, visit Discountid.com.

Marcela De Vivo writes for the Discountid.com

RFID Pharmaceutical services:

2008-03-21T02:43:00.001-07:00

RFID Technology also enters in the world of Pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and hospitals to discourage drug counterfeiting. The report of The World Health Organization shows between 5 to 8 percent of global pharmaceuticals is counterfeit. In some countries, It is higher and between 25 to 40 percent. In the fight against counterfeit drugs RFID have it's own additional benefits. The pharmaceutical industry runs on the data information of throughout the process of drug trials, manufacturing, distribution and retail sale. RFID is known for it's tremendous ability to uniquely identify each item and securely capture date without during whole supply chain. Pharmaceutical industry is blessed by RFID technology:

? Supply Chain: RFID has ability to deep insight, visibility and efficiency during the supply chain. RFID present a good chance to provide 100 percent visibility of inventory, making it easier and quicker to handle goods transaction to the right place in the right channel. The technology improves productivity in shipping and receiving, reduce touch labor, increase the assurance of shipping and providing accuracy, and expanding product availability at the retail store, thus reducing customer complaints and charge backs.

? <b.Pharmaceutical responsibility and Brand Protection: Technology helps to reduce the responsibility at every point of supply chain, reduces the inventory losses. Every year 6-10 percent of retail inventory is stolen and diverted. Benefit of the new technology is presented when returns are properly shipped from right manufacturer, at proper price. RFID also helps to prevent "gray market" distribution, which costs companies and their customers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

? Pharmaceutical Product: RFID provides Safety, Recalls, and Regulatory Requirements. RFID take care about the expiration dates and improving expiration management. The technology can store preliminary information that satisfying regulatory requirement. RFID reduce the time spent to identifying products targeted for recall and reducing the likelihood of a mass-market recall of branded products by zeroing individual items and capturing manufacturing data.

RFID solution implemented for many more different fields: ? Corporate Security ? Fraud Prevention ? Legal & Regulatory Affairs ? Loss Prevention ? RFID Technology ? Security Operations ? Supply Chain ? Transportation & Distribution

Diana

Asset tracking with RFID technology:

2008-03-20T02:40:00.001-07:00

RFID technology adds a new chapter in asset tracking technology. Now a day when large amount of valuable data, asset and people are needed for big projects, basic need of effective and efficient tracking system is increasing day by day. In this situation RFID technical solutions are being so effective.

Forgetting the thing is the common nature of human being but some times, this nature brought a dreadful condition. But to remember each and every thing is not possible. Asset tracking system helps you to track your important and valuable assets. For this reason there are many products and tracking systems are in the market.

Radio Frequency Identification is a groundbreaking technology for this field. Now there is no need to store whole history and full description about them every time. RFID tags are the simpler way to track them. Every tagged asset can be tracked by interpreting the upcoming radio signals from each tag.

Supply chain management, manufacturing and retailing are major area where long- range RFID solutions will be available in near future. The Forrester Research, provocatively entitled "BI Vendors Are Sleeping Through RFID's Arrival," by Keith Gile and Philip Russom which includes Cognos, SAS, Business objects (Profile, Product, Articles) and application vendors such as SAP- showed till now, there is no any application specific solution for interpreting RFID data and it may not be possible until 2010.

Asset tracking system with pioneering RFID technology is not so far away from you. At agilesense.com, you can find long range of RFID technical solutions for all kind of your asset tracking needs.

Diana

RFID Applications

2008-03-20T02:39:00.000-07:00

RFID, Radio Frequency Identification is a technology, which includes wireless data capture and transaction processing. Proximity (short range) and Vicinity (long range) are two major application areas where RFID technology is used. Track and trace applications are long range or vicinity applications. This technology provides additional functionality and benefits for product authentication. Access control applications are Short range or proximity type of applications.

AgileSense Technologies is focused on delivering innovative, high value RFID solutions assisting company's track assets, people and documents. AgileSense provides robust and complete RFID solutions built on top of its extensible middleware/framework for Government, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Aerospace industries.

Asset Tracking: Static or in-motion assets tracking or locating, like a healthcare facility, wheelchairs or IV pumps in, laptops in a corporation and servers in a data center, was not so easy task.

User can instantly determine the general location of tagged assets anywhere within the facility with the help of active RFID technology. "Control point" detection zones at strategic locations throughout the facility allow the user to define logical zones and monitor high traffic areas. Tagged assets moving through these control points provide instant location data.

Asset tracking applications will see an almost vertical growth curve in the coming years and the growth rate in this area will be much higher than the growth rate of general RFID market.

People Tracking: People tracking system are used just as asset tracking system. Hospitals and jails are most general tracking required places.

Hospital uses RFID tags for tracking their special patients. In emergency patient and other essential equipment can easily track. It will be mainly very useful in mental care hospitals where doctors can track each and every activity of the patient. Hospitals also use these RFID tags for locating and tracking all the activities of the newly born babies.

The best use of the people tracking system will be in jails. It becomes an easy tracking system to track their inmates. Many jails of different US states like Michigan, California, Arizona are already using RFID-tracking systems to keep a close eye on jail inmates.

Document tracking: This is most common problem. Availability of large amount of data and documents brings lots of problem in document management system. An RFID document-tracking system saves time and money by substantially reducing: ?Time spent searching for lost document ? The financial and legal impact associated with losing documents.

Government Library: Many government libraries use barcode and electromagnetic strips to track various assets. RFID technology uses for reading these barcodes unlike the self-barcode reader RFID powered barcode reader can read multiple items simultaneously. This reduces queues and increases the number of customers using self-check, which in turn will reduce the staff necessary at the circulation desks.

Healthcare: Patient safety is a big challenge of healthcare vertical. Reducing medication errors, meeting new standards, staff shortages, and reducing costs are the plus points of use of RFID solutions. RFID wristbands containing patient records and medication history address several of these concerns.

Manufacturing & Aerospace: RFID technology provides an easy way to manage a huge and laborious manufacturing process. It offers all the benefits of small production parts to batch, processes and manufacturing. This type of process helps in better analysis, reduce and eliminate bottlenecks, reduced time in locating parts and products and production process based sensors can be installed to alert any anomalies.

Aerospace industry and Department of Defense have a lot to gain from RFID integration into their production and process lines. Boeing and airbus, according to the direction of US Federal Aviation Administration, make it mandatory to put an appropriate tracking mechanism to track the aircraft parts.

All these RFID solutions are available for you in under the roof of Agilesense.com. Choose Agilesense as your default RFID solution provider.

Diana

RFID Remodels Supply Chain Management:

2008-03-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine 100% visibility of product in a Supply Chain with RFID tags to whole warehouse? RFID is major advancement in b>supply chain management.Although large range of applications supported by the radio-frequency identification technology, now supply chain management is on it's focus. RFID is taught as the ultimate Supply Chain solution that will drive millions if not billions of savings throughout the supply chain and other areas. The question in the air is: Does RFID really has this "healing" power? From the ordinary process, such as moving goods through loading docks, to the complex, such as managing huge amount of data as information about goods is collected in real time makes RFID as an ultimate supply chain solution. The way we handle products in the Supply Chain will radically change the transformational RFID technology. It brings transparency in supply chain by cut out-of-stocks, counterfeit and shrinkage. Manpower savings is one of the most important features of the RFID supply chain management system. It is flexible for all kind of applications; range will grow when RFID combined with other sensors.

Initially RFID is used to manage the large amount of goods like pallet and cartoon labels, identification. So RFID tags must have unique serial identifier for each batch of the product at the lading time, on the bill. It makes the less possibility of redundant data entry by scanning the RFID tag. The reason is RFID tag reader can scan many tags during a 1-second period.

There are 2 types of RFID tags: passive and active. When reader reads the passive tag, Reader received the energy through tag's antenna and transmits the data in the form of energy back. The main reason of widely used passive tags is its low cost.

It is very difficult to standardize the encoding information on RFID intelligent tags for supply chain management for bar codes. The standards for basic product information is encoded in RFID chips and standard to manage UPC information in bar codes are presented by EPCglobal Inc.

The entire standard for information passing from RFID readers to other applications and from application to application, in supply chain are established by EPCglobal.

These standards becomes useful when goods are ship from one company to company in terms of electronic transaction that will occur in between organization's enterprise resource planning systems. These standards maintain every time when middleware handles data scanned by an RFID reader as goods enter a warehouse and will pass the data to an enterprise application.

On the other hand it includes costs to the supply chain. But the investment in front of good ROI is not matter in case of RFID solutions.

Diana

The heart of RFID System

2008-03-18T03:26:00.001-07:00

RFID, Radio Frequency Identification System consists of a tag, a reader and a host system. Host system takes care about the flow of information, sending and receiving to and from the reader and tag. Air interface or Radio Frequency is the medium for data transmission. There are two types of RFID Systems: Near field and far field. Near-field systems are that in which inductive coupling of the tag employ to the reactive energy circulating around the reader antenna, and far-field systems that couple to the real energy contained in propagating electromagnetic plane waves.

The reader contains a radio frequency module, a signal processing and micro controller unit, a coupling element and the interface to a host system. There are many different kinds of readers on the market, such as desktop, hand-held, tunnel or gate/gantry style readers. The host system controls the data flow between the readers and tags. It can be as simple as a personal computer connected to the reader by an RS-232 serial cable.

RFID systems bring a revolution in UPC or EAN barcodes systems. RFID technology has many important advantages over existing barcode systems. ? The ability to scan or read a product without line of sight, ? Multiple product reads in one pass and ? Being able to store a larger amount of information are all key advantages over barcodes.

Diana Heyden

RFID In Retail Industry

2008-03-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

RFID in retail industry has solved major problems related to customer services. Improved customer service would ultimately lead to increased sales. With the help of RFID, it becomes easy for the sales staff to locate a particular item in the store and check its availability in less time. It gives accessibility to the products from store to store and also to the entire database.

Improves the level of customer service

The overall time spent by the customer in shopping is reduced as the desired item is found in less time making shopping a better experience. Also while scanning of a particular product is done this technology provides access to the information about the product. It calculates the prices of the products kept in the shopping bag simultaneously, so the shopper is aware of how much he/she is spending. As the total of the shopping done is already calculated the customer has to just pay, thus waiting time for billing is reduced.

Increases customer's loyalty

The RFID tags attached to the items has the ability to provide feeling of a 'virtual personalized shopper' to the customer. It also facilitates in tracking down the shopping preferences and habit of the customers and thus helps in introducing right rewards connected to it. The information about customer's shopping style, their shopping history, past purchases, etc can be tracked down, thus value added services could be provided to them giving the customer the feel of personalized treatment. Even decision regarding purchase of a product could be made in fitting room, as the RFID readers in fitting rooms that are connected to the computer, provides all information regarding the garment. Also the information related to the item is confidential and not to be unveiled to the customer, can be protected by your IT department. Thus security is also ensured from seller point of view also. These added benefits lead to better shopping experience for the customer which ultimately leads to customer loyalty towards your shopping hub.

Better inventory management

Scanning of bar code has become mandatory in inventory processing, but it has certain drawbacks compared to RFID technology. The bar code stickers show human errors as it has the capacity to encode limited and stagnant information. Bar code is unable to read or write multiple codes. RFID's capacity to track the items efficiently and encode multiple codes, resulting improved inventory management. It provides better safety in terms of fast recall of the stock and minimizes the theft also. It helps the supplier in maintaining the stock of goods and keeping the shelf filled with goods whenever needed. So the customers would never face storage of a product thus avoiding loss of sales and profit. The key element in today's market is to maintain appropriate in-stocks and not having too much additional inventory.

To manage inventory is a costly affair for the retailer. The information accessed through RFID helps in keeping a check on the inventory and its supply. Thus, maintaining the right percentage of inventory. The ratio of demand and supply can be well maintained as the items which has increased sales is tracked down and the stock is uploaded likewise.

Item level tracking

Item level tracking is the most important objective of RFID system. This tracking gives a personalized ID to every unit of inventory. This results in better tracking of the items. As it saves time, the re-ordering of the items becomes easy and can be done in lesser time. The percentage of shrinkage is reduced due to proper and timely shipments of the items.

Futuristic view

Advanced technologies are being developed in the field of RFID tags that are more advanced technologically and are of reduced costs. Generally the cost of RFID tags range from twenty cents to one dollar which is not so reasonable cost. Therefore in order to make it cheaper, the prices are required to fall to five cents instead of twenty cents. RFID tags are a part of RFID system so in order to increase its usage, and required to be cost effective. The future of RFID is very bright in retail sector as right from inventory management to product manufacturing, this system provides more efficient and advanced retail experience to both customer and the seller.

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When RFID Meets WiFi; Now that is Good Use of Technology

2008-03-17T04:14:00.000-07:00

With RFID Tags (radio frequency identification) there are active tags, which have enough power to transmit to the system. But now RFID Tag developers have gone one step further using RFID tags and interfaced WiFi enablers to them so the active RFID Tag can transmit in the 2.45 Ghz range using end user or destination companies wireless 802.11 WiFi network.

Pretty cool beans indeed and these new systems have been talked about in Industry White Papers, but only in theory, but now they exist and there was a write up about them in the May/June Issue of RFID Journal. The developers of the active RFID RTLS (real-time locating systems) are happy with the interest in the market place.

Some industry analysts are already calling them the World?s Most Expensive RFID tags at $50.00 to $60.00 per pop, yet that is not really true as the solar charging active RFID tags cost more than that currently. Still as the industry is trying to get the price for RFID tags under $.20 and eventually down to $.15 and then $.10 and then $.05 you can see why they are barking about the costs.

However for high-end goods for AeroSpace, Weapons Systems, Health-Care Equipment, etc. the price of $50.00 is not so bad and these tags are reusable of course. So far two companies are braving this new field; AeroScout.com and Ekahau.com and these little units look pretty neat, maybe you might want to check it out yourself? Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow, a retired entrepreneur, adventurer, modern day philosopher and perpetual tourist

RFID Technology: A New Revolution

2008-03-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

RFID technology brings revolution not only in functionality of tracking systems but in healthcare, libraries and field of manufacturing etc. also. Here I give you a brief description about RFID technology, hope it will be helpful for you.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is a small object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person. RFID tags contain silicon chips and antennas to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. Passive tags require no internal power source, whereas active tags require a power source.

RFID is the abbreviated form of Radio Frequency Identification. RFID is akin to the bar codes but in RFID the electro magnetic coupling is used to transmit signals. The main components of an RFID are silicon chips, an antenna and a transceiver that can be used anytime and anywhere. The passive RFID tags require no power source while active ones with power backup.

There are two types of RFID Systems: Near field and far field. Near-field systems are that in which inductive coupling of the tag employ to thereactive energy circulating around the reader antenna, Far-field systems that couple to the real energy contained in propagating electromagnetic plane waves.

RFID is like a tag in which information and instructions are stored. It can be used in a car manufacturing, into a dog collar etc. An RFID system can range up to 90 feet. Unlike barcode technology, RFID does not require line-of-sight reading on which a bar code depends and RFID scanning can be done at greater distances than bar code scanning.

RFID has a plethora of uses. While initially the technology was just confined to tracing or identifying dogs, for a means of permanent identification number, the uses of RFID have simply multiplied over the years. Today RFID technology is seen in almost every field. Be it medicine, education (like library work), shipping, electronic devices automobiles, musical instruments, tracking movements of individuals via their passports etc, everywhere the RFID technology is at work.

RFID technology is becoming more widespread due to the manufacturing of RFID software. Now a days there are many effective and efficient RFID software solutions in the market. RFID technichal solutions bring new means to view your asset tracking and maintaing capability. So enjoy technology J????.

Rfid Technology is growing day by day to find out more about Rfid Solutions please visit http://www.agilesense.com

RFID : Is Radio Frequency ID the Wave of the Future?

2008-03-13T03:51:00.000-07:00

Here?s something you don?t often hear ? how are you dealing with ?rifid?? OR RFID. If you DO often hear it, then this article isn?t for you, it?s far too simplistic. However, if you have never heard of RFID before, read on. It might just change your life, or at least the way you organize it. Radio Frequency Identification or RFID is the use of radio waves to identify objects; in English, the ability to track items without coming into contact with them. This is accomplished by a microchip attached to an antenna called transponders or ?tags?. The chip transmits ID information to the receiver which converts it to a digital format which is then read by a computer.

RFID isn?t new, its been with us in its current guise since the early 80s, and around since the 1920s ? you know the tag that they stick on jackets in the clothes store to stop you stealing them? However, its just grown up; businesses can track products throughout the manufacturing process from start to finish. These items can be tracked while in trucks, on shelves, wherever.

The Benefits of RFID include:
1. The ability to eliminate time consuming bar-coding or other tracking processes. Instead, all data can be collected along the production line. This also helps to lower production costs.
2. Prevention of the distribution of counterfeit products.
3. Elimination or reduction of theft and loss.
4. Reduction of supply chain cost.
5. Elimination of data entry and other tedious manual business process transactions.
6. Increase in order fulfillment time
7. Less time spent in check out lines, as consumers will only have to push their shopping carts in front of the readers.

The predominant downside is the high cost of the RFID hardware. Where tags alone can cost twenty five cents each or more, many retailers won?t get much of a return, if any, on their investment.

It?s hoped that Wal-Mart, the Defense Department and others will start using RFID, which could cause the prices of the tags to drop to five cents each, making it a more affordable solution for many.

Jamie Hall is a middleware developer of RFID systems and Programmer for Big Blog Media. And writes for RFID Factfile

Amalgamation Of Metal Containers With Rfid Technology

2008-03-12T03:30:00.000-07:00

RFID and metal containers do not complement each other well, until we don?t know the scientific method of implementing RFID. So it is possible to use them together with reliable results if proper application is known.

Metal containers are desirable because of their certain distinguishable properties like- they are safe, strong, long-lasting, reusable and shielding. But it is generally assumed that metal containers are headache to manage and track to, also to get permission from environmental agency to use and track them. However by use of mobile asset management solution the metal containers can be managed properly and tracked with RFID technology. The answer to its successful application is ? use of science.

Problems faced

Radio waves have the property of being absorbed by water at ultra-high frequencies and revert back by the metal surface. For example our body contains saltwater therefore serves as a shield against RFID waves. Generally metal interferes with RFID signals thus pose a challenge for supply chain that is RFID enabled. The effectiveness of the RFID field is reduced when the eddy currents are produced by metal in the surrounding area of the RFID reader antennae as it absorbs radio frequency energy. A magnetic field is formed by these eddy currents which is perpendicular to the metal surface. Due to this field, the reader field is cancelled.

Detuning

Metal surface causes electromagnetic friction which results into energy depletion thus reduction of performance, and detune of reader and tag antenna. RFID which is installed in heavy metal surroundings could reduce the ranges, reliabilities and actual read & write rates. These reductions are more than what is experienced in controlled lab condition of RFID pilots. However these problems can be overcome by the usage of proper scientific designed and engineered system. Companies are looking forward to this system solution.

In the area of supply chain management RFID technology is being used in a metal environment to track and manage high-value, reusable mobile assets and their contents. Mobile assets are used to carry raw materials, work in progress and the final finished goods in supply chains. These mobile assets are however expensive and also its contents are also expensive and time critical. RFID is useful in many manners, the information produced by it can be used to improve the planning and execution of the distribution channel.

Advantages

RFID technology helps in reduction of loss rates, maintenance costs, distribution costs, and better customer service. It facilitates in identifying market trends and reduction of selling price of the goods. Companies can even bring into line the rates of the container with the assessment stream resultant from the investment in the container, its release and the technology included. Most of the companiesusing RFID system were found to be using this technology for asset tracking as it provides the return on investment to the manufacturer.

A combination of asset acquisition and management services with technology and RFID facilitates to discover and eliminate the hidden costs of supply chain which includes assets, transportation costs, finished goods, product waste and inventory. Most of these management services work on pay-per-use basis, it enables the companies to improve the quality of customer service and also minimizes operating expenses and manages asset contents successfully.

Certain mobile asset management solution providers do offer RFID of low cost which could be installed in surroundings with high metal content. The worth of RFID is produced by the resolution provider from the consequent generation of enhanced trade rules that results efficient procedure and process.

Conclusion

To conclude usage of RFID tracking technology can be used successfully in environment with high metal content. Mobile asset management solution providers have solved this problem to a great extent by experimenting and introducing system with advanced design and engineering. Therefore it is beneficial to for companies to adopt RFID tracking technology.

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RFID and 1984

2008-03-12T03:29:00.000-07:00

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." ~ William Pitt

Introduction:
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and is a newer technology that is already being used for a number of purposes. Those of you that swipe a card on a magnetic reader to enter your work building, may be using RFID. Other common uses include package tracking by UPS, inventory control, targeting advertising to consumers, tracking pets and livestock, and the replacement of credit cards. Next will be the tracking of Americans by a big-brother government. While RFID does offer many attractive uses that can save time and money, the technology is already being widely abused and has serious security and privacy concerns.

Security Concerns:
RFID works by emitting a radio signal that is read by a reader. I have read a wide variety of numbers as to how far a chip can currently be read - 33ft and 100ft are 2 of the common maximum distances that I have seen. The distance currently depends mostly on the strength of the reader, however, chipmaker VeriChip is currently working on GPS versions that can be read from much greater distances and also provide the additional benefit of tracking the location of an object or a person. Obviously, as time moves forward more advances will be made to this technology that will make it more powerful and more dangerous.

The security concerns stem from the fact that a hacker with the right equipment can easily scan an RFID chip and either acquire the information stored on it, or, if used for gaining entry, they can replicate it in order to access secure areas.

In August of 2006, the United States will begin including RFID chips in passports. In addition to the privacy concerns, there are massive security concerns as a hacker can easily gain access to your personal information. Our government has been presented this information by thousands of security experts and their only response was to include very minimal security measures that will inevitably be overcome. The Netherlands has been using RFID chips in their passports for just a short time and the security has already been cracked. In 2008, the US government will introduce a national ID card that will also contain an RFID chip with your personal information. The federal government has told the state governments that the new ID is voluntary. They also said that if the states do not embrace the new ID, their citizens will not be able to fly on a plane, take a train, get a bank account, get a job, and a number of other "priveledges". That is the federal government's version of voluntary.

Privacy Issues:
The fundamental privacy issue with RFID is that it can and will be used to track Americans and their actions. President Bush already proposed the idea of forcing illegal immigrants to get RFID implants in order to track their movement and activities and many corporations are embedding RFID tags in their products which will still be functional even after the item is removed from the store.

While currently, the concept of RFID implants under the skin frightens 90% of Americans, corporations and the government are going to sell it to you. The are going to show you that you will no longer have to carry any keys around and can start your car and open your front door by waving your arm in front of them. They are going to sell you on the fact that 98,000 people could be saved in emergency rooms every year if their medical records were implanted on a chip. They are going to tell you that RFID implants will make this country safer because we will be able to tell who isn't chipped and find out why they are here. They will sell you on the benefits of being able to shop without going through a checkout line. They will tell you that a chip can monitor your vital functions and alert you if a problem is detected. They will tell you that they can find your kids if they are lost or kidnapped. They will tell you that an implant will make your life better, easier, and longer. The list will go on and on and the propoganda machine is already in full swing.

What they won't tell you is that once you are implanted, your decendency into slavery is complete. They won't tell you that your boss will use the chip to track your activities during the work day. They won't tell you that the government will be able to track your every movement. They won't tell you that they can take the cash right out of your implanted electronic wallet. They won't tell you that corporations can track your purchases (they already do with membership cards) and target advertising to you. They won't tell you that they will flag you and limit your movement if you are a criminal, dissident, protester, Mexican, Arab, homeless, or any other group that the government doesn't like. They won't tell you that they will track who you meet with and how you spend your time. They won't tell you that your chip might be used by the government to induce a heart attack or stroke and kill you for non-compliance with their fascist government (a little extreme, but definitely possible).

They will tell you that it is a voluntary choice to get the implant, but it will be as voluntary as the National ID card. It is estimated that 2,500 people have already been chipped and when enough ignorant and apathetic Americans get the chip, stores will begin phasing out credit card machines, the government will begin requiring the implants to fly, drive a car, or get a job. It will be as voluntary as taxes.

As a side note, I would like to say that I am not at all religious, however, I do find it ominous and unnerving that the bible basically said this would happen. Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelations states, "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." No matter what you believe, that is quite a prediction from 2000 years ago.

Recent Abuses:
The widespread use of RFID technology is fairly recent, and yet, it is already being abused. Wal-Mart in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, used RFID tags and readers to track the Max Factor Lipfinity lipstick containers stacked on them. Webcam images of the shelves were viewed 750 miles (1200 km) away by Procter & Gamble researchers in Cincinnati, Ohio, who could tell when lipsticks were removed from the shelves and observe the shoppers in action. A pilot program by the Gillette Company conducted a "smart shelf" test at a Tesco in Cambridge, England. They automatically photographed shoppers taking RFID-tagged safety razors off the shelf to see if the technology could be used to deter shoplifting. Levi Strauss is test-marketing the use of embedded RFID tags in their clothing. In January 2004 privacy advocates from CASPIAN and the German privacy group FoeBuD were invited to the METRO Future Store in Germany, where an RFID pilot project was implemented. It was uncovered by accident that METRO "Payback" customer loyalty cards contained RFID tags with customer IDs, a fact that was disclosed neither to customers receiving the cards, nor to this group of privacy advocates. This happened despite assurances by METRO that no customer identification data was tracked and all RFID usage was clearly disclosed.

These are all blatant infringements on our privacy rights which is why there are over 40 civil liberties groups world-wide trying to stop the proliferation of RFID until appropriate standards for use can be set. All of the companies listed above are on my boycott list for failure to comply with the wishes of the American people and civil liberties groups.

Call to Action:
If this sounds like science fiction, you need to realize that people are already getting implanted, including the recent chipping of 160 Mexican Officials. There is a good chance that you will eventually be implanted too, unless we resist. You must resist the National ID card. Tell your representatives that you don't want it and refuse to accept it, even if it means that you can't fly or take a train. Tell others about RFID before it is too late. Many people will have no idea what RFID even is until they get chipped. Wake up and realize that voting for republicans or democrats will end with the same result. Neither one is going to protect you from this. As long as we suffer from corporatism in this country, our fascist government may not even have to be involved in forcing people into getting chipped. They will simply only accept RFID implants as a form of payment and you will not have a choice if you wish to eat and carry out the normal functions of your life.

Further Reading
SpyChips
FDA Approves Computer Chip for Humans
Big Brother Gets Under Your Skin
Bio-chip Implant Arrives for Cashless Transactions
Company Requires RFID Injection
Company Defends RFID Implant Product
A Chip in Your Shoulder
Home for Seniors Trades Privacy for Security

Jason is a concerned citizen hoping to stir questions in people's minds about the state of our nation and the direction we are heading.

RFID- A New Technology Making Waves in the Market

2008-03-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

Locating the right item at right place and at the right time is made possible by Radio Frequency IDentification or RFID, as it's known commonly. There are numerous applications of RFID namely inventory tracking, asset management, supply chain management, and so on. This technology enables companies in optimizing the procurement, manufacture, distribution, sales, and tracking of products. Thus, integrating even the last mile of the retail chain with live area - whether it's a store shelf, or a factory floor.

Major retailers, consumer and industrial goods manufacturers across the globe believe that RFID helps them in improving the efficiency of their tracking and inventory management systems. RFID can help in counting, tracking, locating, and securing the objects, which move through supply chains, in an accurate and cost effective manner.

As per a recent market study RFID will continue to be a core element of various business elements throughout the year 2006. Market needs will be the key driver for the worldwide adoption of this technology. Nearly 85%-86% items in convenience stores and supermarkets currently have barcodes. Therefore, we can say that RFID is taking a giant leap and making headway in all sorts of markets. It's returning good turnover.

RFID vendors who're adopting a high pricing strategy will likely evolve their market position on account of enhanced performance and quality. While RFID market's current nascence doesn't necessarily imply a direct relationship between price and quality, this is a possible situation in developed market conditions. The increasing stress on performance within the end user segments will probably have a positive influence on vendors adopting this positioning focus. Mandates that require mere compliance will likely evolve and comprise performance demands in coming years.

RFID will offer competitive advantage in consumer goods, combat terrorism, other crime and also the threats of epidemics. This technology will also serve consumers and governments demanding enhanced service, quick information, condition monitoring, and so on.

For further information on RFID industry you can read the report " RFID Industry Analysis (2006)," published by RNCOS at http://www.rncos.com/Report/COM32.htm

RNCOS is an industry leader in the field of online business research. We specialize in industry research on various business verticals. To read our other reports, please visit us at our website: - http://www.rncos.com/Report.htm or email us at info@rncos.com.

RNCOS offers complete e-publishing solutions for your business. We provide personalized world-class content development and management solutions that are qualitative and result-oriented.

RFID buzz creates market for more secure services

2008-03-11T02:49:00.000-07:00

RFID or Radio Frequency Identification for a layman is all about collecting data at the physical level using RFID readers and tags and then using that data for business applications.

RFID number plates are expected to bring in a revolutionary transformation in the traffic monitoring system. Those gazing surveillance cameras on the roads are soon going to be outdated with the introduction of these hi-tech number plates.

Only 5-6 sectors are utilizing this technology at present. The areas where this technology has already made its place include Security & Access Control where RFID is used for authentication of products, documents & asset management, validation & verification of vehicles and people & attendance check etc.

Besides installing RFID number plates to watch the movement of vehicles on the road, the transportation sector also employs the RFID technology to collect taxes with contact-less cards and keep an eye on public and cargo vehicles.

RFID plays a major role in health care services equipments such as mobile diagnostic equipments or RFID patient wristband. Quality checks in retail & consignment tracking, point of sale terminals, luggage handing and other areas of commercial services also use RFID technology.

Besides assisting the suppliers in meeting the requirements of the retailers, the inclusion of RFID system in supply chain management has also broadened the marketing scope for service providers.

As per a latest research report published by RNCOS named ?RFID: Outlook China? predicts that the application of RFID in the shipment system of China's Ministry of Railway will save more than $ 36Mn, i.e. 300Mn Yuan, during the current financial year.

The report also offers statistical information of the RFID market in China. As per the report, the RFID market in China that was worth $150 Mn in 2004, which is expected to cross $621 Mn by the year 2009 at a CAGR (Cumulative Annual Growth Rate) of 32%.

As per the analysts, China is becoming the latest center of this technology with RFID-based systems being included in Shanghai and Guangzhou?s subways and several buses are also equipped with card reader in Beijing.

As per the report ?RFID: Outlook China?, RFID has entered in every sphere of the Chinese Market. The 2G identity cards cover approximately 50%, whereas each of the sectors such as e-ticketing, expressway toll taxation, university campuses & community services on an average adds to 6% of the RFID market with public transport and subways making a contribution of 10%.

The report offers a complete overview of the current trends and activities in the RFID Market in China. The international exhibition of RFID technology called RFID CONNECT CHINA 2006 event is also discussed in this report.

To purchase your copy: http://www.rncos.com/Report/COM27.htm
For more information please visit www.rncos.com

RFID Market in China continues Growth at 8.55% during Q4 2005

2008-03-10T03:52:00.000-07:00

Intel has signed a deal with the Sample group located in Nanjing, to establish its only RFID center for research and development in China.

The RFID research and development center will primarily do research and promotion of RFID industry applications. These applications include intelligent communications management system, aviation luggage management system, warehouse management system, and container positioning management systems.

Intel RFID Centers throughout the world are supposed to interact closely with the Center at China, so that Intel can leverage the Sample Group?s expertise in custom logistics segment to its advantage. Intel is eager to use RFID solutions for quality business decisions and production management.

In its latest published report ?RFID: Outlook China?, the market research firm RNCOS stated that the RFID market in China sustained its modest growth ratio of 8.55% in Q4 of 2005. It further indicated that the manufacturing segment should be prospective entry field for the RFID industry.

The report reveals that the size of the RFID market in China grew from RMB 568 million in the third quarter to RMB 617 million in the fourth quarter in 2005, exhibiting 8.55% rate of growth.

The experts at RNCOS are of the opinion that the exhibited rate of growth is moderate and the market still holds the potential. The report also tells that in the Q4 the RFID market was busy with the launch of 2G ID cards, and implementations in fields where it is already applied on a large scale, such as public transportation, campus management, property/residential area management, etc.

The report further elaborates that China has a great future in the manufacturing sector. There is a large application of logistics and availability of a substantial working capital in manufacturing procedures. Manufacturing companies can bring down their expenditures and boost efficiency through the effective use of RFID implementations to acquire precise logistics data and realize specialized production.

After assessing the challenges and prospects before the RFID industry, experts at RNCOS believe that there are certain limitations to the implementation of RFID in the manufacturing sector. The conformation to international standards and the prohibitive costs are the impediments to the growth of the RFID industry in China.

The RFID technology has been drawing a lot of attention from the industry as well as the government after having established its vast potential in China. Commercial application of RFID will be implemented this year.

As is evident from the latest events, the main factors behind the phenomenal success of the Chinese RFID industry are the support and promotion of the Chinese government and the private sector. This fact is further established, when the Haidian District City Planning Administration confirms, that it is only through the effective implementation of RFID technology, that the municipal facilities and public institutions can be properly managed. They intend to make further use of RFID in the city in the future.

To purchase your copy: http://www.rncos.com/Report/COM27.htm

For more information please visit www.rncos.com

RFID, its implications and how to defeat

2008-03-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

Imagine a future in which your every belonging is marked with a unique number identifiable with the swipe of a scanner, where the location of your car is always pinpoint-able and where signal-emitting microchips storing personal information are implanted beneath your skin or embedded in your inner organs.

This is the possible future of radio frequency identification (RFID), a technology whose application has so far been limited largely to supply-chain management (enabling companies, for example, to keep track of the quantity of a given product they have in stock) but is now being experimented with for passport tracking, among other things. RFID is set to be applied in a whole range of consumer settings. Already being tested in products as innocuous as shampoo, lip balm, razor blades, clothing and cream cheese, RFID-enabled items are promoted by retailers and marketers as the next revolution in customer convenience. Consumer advocates say this is paving the way for a nightmarish future where personal privacy is a quaint throwback.

How RFID works
There are two types of RFID tags: active and passive. When most people talk about RFID, they talk about passive tags, in which a radio frequency is sent from a transmitter to a chip or card which has no power cell per se, but uses the transmitted signal to power itself long enough to respond with a coded identifier. This numeric identifier really carries no information other than a unique number, but keyed against a database that associates that number with other data, the RFID tag's identifier can evoke all information in the database keyed to that number.

An active tag has its own internal power source and can store as well as send even more detailed information.

The RFID value chain involves three parts: the tags, the readers and the application software that powers these systems. From there, the data generated by the application software can interface with other systems used in an enterprise, or, if they obtain the information or collect it themselves, concievably by governments or more nefarious organizations.

Where it?s used today
Global companies such as Gillette, Phillips, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart and others see huge savings to be made from the use of RFID, and there are numerous pilot projects underway which are indicating savings in supply chains as well as the ability to add value to both product owner, product reseller and customer.

But they?re just pilots, mostly. RFID is a long way from being everywhere, so far. Pharmaceutical tracking has long been held out as one of the flagship applications of RFID in the short term, yet just some 10 medications are expected be tagged using RFID technology on a large scale in the U.S. during 2006, analysts predict. Slow roll-outs are contrasting sharply with the optimism of a year ago, when evidence suggested tripling or even quadrupling of RFID for consumer goods tracking. Why? Uncertainty over pending legislation. There are a complex mixture of federal and new state laws (in particular Florida and California) intended to combat drug theft and counterfeiting that have implications for RFID. The details are still being worked out.

Where it?s likely to be used tomorrow
Depending which analysts you believe, the market for RFID technology will represent between 1.5 and 30 Billion USD by the year 2010. Analyst firm IDTechEx, which tracks the RFID industry, believes more than 585 billion tags will be delivered by 2016. Among the largest growth sectors, IDTechEx forsees the tagging of food, books, drugs, tires, tickets, secure documents (passports and visas), livestock, baggage and more.

Buses and subways in some parts of the world are being equipped with RFID readers, ready for multi-application e-tickets. These are expected to make things easier for the commuter, and help stem the fraud from the current paper-ticket system. However the biggest problem facing rollouts of RFID for commercial micropayment tracking is apparently not technical, but involves agreeing on the fees charged by the clearing house and how credit from lost and discarded tickets will be divided.

Passport tracking
One of the highest profile uses of RFID will be passport tracking. Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has wanted the world to agree on a standard for machine-readable passports. Countries whose citizens currently do not have visa requirements to enter the United States will have to issue passports that conform to the standard or risk losing their non-visa status.

American and other passports are being developed that include RFID-based chips which allow the storage of considerable amounts of data such as fingerprints and digitized photographs. In the U.S., these passports are due to start being issued in October of 2006. Early in the development of these passports there were gaping security holes, such as the capability of being read by any reader, not just the ones at passport control (the upshot of this was that travelers carrying around RFID passports would have been openly broadcasting their identity, making it easy for wrongdoers to easily ? and surreptitiously ? pick Americans or nationals of other participating countries out of a crowd.)

Those security blunders were initially corrected by adding metal shielding to the passport cover to minimize its readability when closed, dialing back the range of the electronics and adding a special electronic protocol called Basic Access Control (or BAC). This scheme required the passport to be opened and scanned before its data could have been properly interpreted by an RFID receiver. Unfortunately, in early February 2006, Dutch security experts managed to ?listen in? on the communications between a prototype BAC-protected passport and a receiver and cracked the protocol. Which means the international authority developing this new global passport standard may need to go back to the drawing board as of this writing, because ?bad guys? could clearly stand in line at passport control and capture passport information. Details of the Dutch hack here.

Implications for privacy seekers
RFID has clear implications for those who are worried about their privacy and safety. Some of them are obvious, and some of them are not.

- Can be read without your knowledge ? Since the tags can be read without being swiped or obviously scanned (as is the case with magnetic strips or barcodes), anyone with an RFID tag reader can read the tags embedded in your clothes and other consumer products without your knowledge. For example, you could be scanned before you enter the store, just to see what you are carrying. You might then be approached by a clerk who knows what you have in your backpack or purse, and can suggest accessories or other items.
- Can be read a greater distances with a high-gain antenna ? For various technical reasons, RFID reader/tag systems are designed so that distance between the tag and the reader is kept to a minimum. However, a high-gain antenna can actually read tags from much further away, leading to privacy problems. Governments or others could punch through privacy screens and keep tabs on people.
- Difficult to remove ? RFID tags are hard for consumers to remove; some are very small (less than a half-millimeter square, and as thin as a sheet of paper) - others may be hidden or embedded inside a product where consumers cannot see them. New technologies allow RFID tags to be printed right on a product and may not be removable at all
- Disruptions if maliciously jammed ? RF signals can be jammed, which could complicate everyday life if RFID tags became essential. Imagine a central bus or train station, maybe an airport, where suddenly everyone could neither be ID'd or access their cash accounts. A single hour of jamming during morning rush over a large area could cost a large city untold millions of dollars in delayed commerce and transport. It would be worse than a mass-transit strike, and easier to repeat.
- Could be linked to a credit card number ? The Universal Product Code (UPC) implemented with barcodes allows each product sold in a store to have a unique number that identifies that product. Work is proceeding on a global system of product identification that would allow each individual item to have its own number. When the item is scanned for purchase and is paid for, the RFID tag number for a particular item can be associated with the credit card number it was purchased with.
- Potential for counterfeit ? If an RFID tag is being used to authenticate someone, anyone with access to an RFID reader can easily capture and fake someone else?s unique numeric identifier, and therefore, in essence, their electronic 'signature'. If an RFID-tagged smartcard is used for shopping, for instance, anyone who intercepted and reverse-engineered your number, and programmed another card with it, could make charges on your account.
- Marking for crime ? Even after you leave a store, any RFID devices in things you buy are still active. A thief could walk past you in the mall and know exactly what you have in your bags, marking you as a potential victim. Someone could even circle your house with an RFID scanner and pull up data on what you have in your house before robbing it. As a result, there are now discussions of ?zombie? RFID tags that expire upon leaving the store and reanimate if the product is ever returned to the store and returned to the supply chain.
- Marking for violence ? Military hardware and even clothing are beginning to make use of RFID tags to help track these items through supply chains. RFID is being used today by the U.S. military to track materials in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some analysts are concerned about particular items being associated with high-level officers that could trigger roadside bombs via an RFID scan of cars going by. (Thankfully, RFID tags retained close to the body can rarely be scanned. For instance, UHF tags, the kind being most widely deployed, are virtually unreadable near the body because of its high water content.)
Some have suggested that mobile phones are already as great a threat to privacy as RFID. In the case of mobile phones, information about your whereabouts and calling patterns is regularly available to your service provider, a centralized and highly regulated source of information gathering. An adversary with special-purpose equipment would also have the capability of tracking your mobile phone, but this would require significant expertise and investment. See our separate article "Cell phone hazards".

What makes RFID a more significant privacy threat than mobile phones is the fact that readers will be readily available and ubiquitously deployed. In other words, RFID readers will soon be an accepted element of everyday life, while eavesdropping equipment for mobile phones is unlikely to be.

How to thwart RFID technology
There are a few approaches you can take to thwart RFID tags ... but before you take proactive steps, note that sometimes the very absence of a tag or its signal in places it?s expected could arouse suspicion. For instance, if you?re carrying what is expected to be an RFID-tagged passport and your tag isn?t working, say, you may invite unwanted scrutiny. Be careful which tags you choose to disrupt.

The simplest, most permanent approach to disable RFID tags is to destroy them. If you can detect them and wish to permanently render them useless, remove them and smash the small chip component with a hammer. If you?re not sure whether a product you own contains a tag, consider putting it in a microwave to destroy the tag if the object is otherwise safe to be microwaved. Be careful with some plastics. Note there have been reports of RFID materials catching fire in microwaves.

If removing the tag is not practical, there are four general ways to disrupt RFID tag detection.
- Blocking ? Construct a conductive foil box (even tin foil is good) around the tag. If you are concerned about RFID emissions from work badges, school IDs, new generation drivers licenses, credit cards, and even cash in the future containing RFID tags, buy or make an RFID-proof wallet. RFID wallet project details are easy to find on the Internet.
- Jamming ? Since RFID systems make use of the electromagnetic spectrum like wireless networks or cellphones, they are relatively easy to jam using a strong radio signal at the same frequency the tag operates. Although this would only be an inconvenience for consumers in stores (longer waits at the checkout), it could be disastrous in other environments where RFID is increasingly being used, like hospitals, or in military combat situations. Such jamming devices, however, would in most cases violate government regulations on radio emissions. A group of researchers in Amsterdam have theorized that a personal RFID jammer is possible (their paper is linked to from the version of this article that lives at our web site, www.powerprivacy.com) but the device seems only theoretical at this time.
- Repeated interrogation ? Active RFID tags that use a battery to increase the range of the system can be repeatedly interrogated to wear the battery down, disrupting the system.
- Popping ? Generating a very strong pulse of radiation at the right frequency can cause RFID tags to resonate and break.

What strategy you should pursue depends on what RFID privacy threats you are trying to thwart and your technical expertise.

RFID in libraries guide

2008-03-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

A technology that was originally developed for the military during World War II, and has now encompassed all walks of life by making its foray into retail, medical, education, automotives, fast food, travel industry, and so on, is RFID or Radio Frequency Identification.

RFID is basically one of the automatic identification systems like bar codes, smart cards, etc. which helps machines in identifying objects. It consists of a transponder or a tag which has an embedded integrated circuit and an antenna. The IC is encrypted with a unique electronic product code. The antenna allows the tag to receive and respond to radio frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. It thus, transmits the data stored in its IC to the receiver which in turn sends it to a central computer for processing.

New uses of RFID are being discovered every day. Using them in libraries is just one among them. Currently, approximately 120 million media and books in about 500 libraries worldwide are already attached with RFID labels, and this number is still progressing. With the introduction of RFID, the management of libraries is improving drastically. In libraries RFID plays a crucial role in checking the catalogues and allowing the customers to pass by card readers that automatically updates the computer system by synchronizing the ID information on patron's library card with the book and indicating that the book has been checked out. Thus, it ensures higher degree of accuracy in record keeping which is a very significant aspect of library management.

Moreover, it is expected that the new technology will help in reducing the costs and improve the tracking of library material as it moves in and out of the shelves. Thus, it will enable the library's staff to catch anyone who tries to take any material out from the library without their consent. Some of the latest RFID products designed specifically for libraries possess some powerful features such as providing real time information on returned and new items, fast sorting and return of popular items, providing self checkout of materials and allowing web based monitoring. In addition to this these systems can even notify the library staff by e-mail when a printer paper is low, and offer customers a choice of either a paper or e-mail receipt at checkout. RFID system will also meet the demand of complex IT and information research inquiries, such as tracing e-books and electronic journals and creating links to digital materials.

However, like any other new technology RFID has its own share of shortcomings. The most common of these drawbacks is its cost. Like most of the new technologies, RFID equipment such as RFID readers and tags are very expensive. Hence, it is financially impractical for the smaller and not so famous libraries to implement it. Moreover, RFID has some security issues attached to it as it violates citizen's privacy by tracking them and creating a database of their habits and activities.

However, despite all these drawbacks RFID is a very helpful tool for the libraries to streamline their management.

Mansi gupta recommends that you visit RFID in libraries for more information

RFID readers guide

2008-03-06T02:35:00.001-08:00

RFID or Radio Frequency Identification is a constantly evolving technology that has made its foray into our lives from the inner circles of science very rapidly. It is basically one of the automatic identification systems like bar codes, smart cards, etc. which helps in identification of objects. However, because of its advanced and user friendly features RFID scores an edge above these antiquated technologies.

RFID system consists of specially designed RFID tags, readers, edge servers, middleware, and application software. The system works by transmitting the data stored in the tags to a RFID reader that in turn reads it and processes the data according to the application's specifications. This transmitted data can possess information about the location of the tag, or specifics concerning the product tagged. The system also includes an interrogator, which has a certain range in which it detects the RFID tag, activates it, and receives the response.

RFID tags, which are being used for a variety of purposes across different sectors, are primarily of three types. These three types are- passive, semi-passive or semi-active and active tags. This classification is based on the source of power supply in the RFID tags. The passive RFID tags do not have a power supply of their own. They make use of the electrical current induced by the radio frequency signal to transmit their response. Thus, despite of having no internal power supply these tags don't require batteries. These tags are small in size and have a range extending from 2mm to few meters. Moreover, they are the cheapest among the three varieties and thus, most widely used. The semi-passive or semi-active RFID tags have a small battery inside. Hence, they are a bit faster in responding and collating data than the passive tags. Besides this, their size and range are quite similar to the passive tags. The active tags have their own internal power source. Thus, they are bigger in size and possess a larger memory size with the ability to communicate with their readers even with large distances between them. However, they are the most expensive of all the three variants. Hence, so far their usage is quite limited.

The basic function of RFID reader is to communicate with the RFID tag by emitting radio waves through its antenna. The RFID readers are classified on the basis of their range like UHF, HF (13.56 MHz) and microwave (2.45 GHz). Their range also governs the prices of these readers. Hence, the UHF readers are the costliest and their prices range anywhere from $2500 to $3000. The reason why these readers are so expensive is because there is no IC integration and also because of its low volume of production and the non-availability of customized components. However, according to a new prediction by a research company, the prices of UHF readers are bound to fall by the end of 2006 or in 2007. This is because as more and more vendors will invest into this technology and as the demand levels will increase the component prices will fall.

Thus, RFID is a technology that has a bright future and is capable of benefiting the mankind.

Mansi gupta recommends that you visit RFID readers for more information

RFID Software guide 101

2008-03-06T02:34:00.000-08:00

RFID is becoming more widespread due to the manufacturing of RFID software. For instance lately technology company Intermec has created a new kind of intelligent RFID reader that can automatically route and manage information from RFID tags from remote locations, by using the IBM's WebSphere Device Infrastructure (WRDI). WRDI is basically an open-standards-based software platform that can be embedded in RFID devices. The software facilitates its users with automatic data collection and reporting from remote sites that do not have their own IT support systems. The software also helps to filter or refine the incoming data on the basis of pre-defined criteria or relevance and send only the requisite info to the application server of the company. WRDI is not just effective in de-cluttering of the data network traffic but it also enables in taking on-board decisions. The software is instrumental in integrating and reconciling the RFID data with information garnered from various business sections.

The IBSS (Integrated Business Service Systems) innovation of Synapse based software has also proved to be a boon for the corporate world. This software named SynTrack Mobile Asset Management keeps a record of costly assets of an enterprise as they move across different locations. The software can locate a hierarchy of zones, tags and tags groups. It provides a real time location of the assets being tracked by continuously updating the user interface.

Besides these big organizations a remarkable attempt has been made by a group of Malaysian. Using the RFID technology the students have invented a software program or a device known as Object Identification Information Network (Odin) to solve the practical problems of people.

The Sun Java System RFID Software has also shown commendable performance in the market. This software is Sun's unique RFID middleware platform offering that is based on largely accepted industry standards including those defined by the EPC global. The software provides a foundation for deploying the EPC Network for a company. The design of this software imparts high levels of reliability and scalability for EPC Network while also simplifying the task of integrating with multiple existing back-end enterprise systems.

Mansi gupta recommends that you visit RFID Software for more information.

Let the RFID Cycle Begin - Intemec

2008-03-05T02:53:00.000-08:00

Let the RFID Cycle Begin - Intermec

RFID a great growth market

A new revolutionary technology is forming called RFID or Radio Frequency Identification. This technology greatly improved the ability to track items, any item. The current leading market solution uses a one way system where, for example, a simple "bar code" at your local grocery store where the grocery clerk has to run the bar code over a scanner. These readings are very man-hour intensive as each individual item must be scanned RFID is a two way system where a reader could scan every item at a Wal-Mart (WMT-48.14) store. Then each item with a RFID tag would respond or "chirp" back to the reader. Using the two way RFID system a single person could take complete inventory of a store almost eliminating all the man-hours of manual inventory. A reader mounted on a fork lift truck would track each item the hyster moves into the warehouse. The RFID will allow a single person the ability to inventory unlimited amounts of items.

Using our simple forecasting theorem which mathematically helps us forecasts how successful technologies will be; our approach signaled that RFID will be revolutionary.

Please refer to forecasting a revolution Multiplication of Moore's law http://www.durig.com/duriglaw.html .

Here are some of the many uses of RFID. Tracking gamblers at a black jack table so the house knows who's betting big, tracking prisoners in a jail to see who was involved in a scuffle, tracking prescription drugs for counterfeit, tracking cattle for mad cow disease, tracking cars so police could immediately identify a stolen car or a car with outstanding issues. More examples, tracking passports to see if the picture is correct, tracking products for Wal-Mart to almost any store and warehouse, tracking the Department of Defense inventories for most items, Boeing can track parts for building aircrafts and Ford tracking parts for it automobiles. It appears that both the scope and magnitude at this time is limitless.

Industries tracking consumer goods from shoes to cement blocks to frozen food to cars, including boats, planes, parts and supplies can utilize it in all aspects from manufacturing, inventory and shipping to retail outlets.

Judging from our theorems, RFID will see revolutionary growth to the likes of the cell phone, Personal Computer and the Internet that also at the beginning of their cycles scored extremely high.

IdtechEx forecast

From IdtechEx, the market for RFID is to grow from 2.7 billion in 2006 to 12.3 billion in 2010. The value is expected to be about 26.2 billion in 2016 or ten years to grow almost 10 times.

Selecting the company that could lead that market

Identify the correct market to invest is only part of the challenge. Possibly the bigger challenge is to identify the company that will lead this technology. This is where we have identified Intermec. Intermec is one of the leading companies in bar codes. Over the last few years Intermec has been focused on developing products that would comply with the new Gen 2 RFID standard rather than introduce products that supported the older Gen 1 Class and 0 Class protocols. This strategy has allowed Intermec to utilize its roughly 149 patents to allow Intermec to extract royalties from the entire RFID industry and appear to be essential when utilizing the Gen 2 RFID standard. The Gen 2 RFID standard and Intemec's patents are very co-depended of each other. In my opinion Intermec is gaining an integration monopolistic position.

Why monopolies have great success

Past monopolies have had great success from controlling the market like Intermec integrating their solution into and then helped become part of the standard. Compared to war it is the equivalent of having the high ground in battles - this approach is extremely valuable. Control in new revolutionary technologies is very rare. Our studies shows that in the past when companies achieved control they are usually able to hold it for 1-2 business cycles or from 9 -19 years. Some past successes that have demonstrated integration and or control of revolutionary products were Microsoft (MSFT-27.13) and Intel (INTC-19.78) in the Personal Computer, Cisco (CSCO-21.44) for the Internet and Qualcomm (QCOM-49.87) currently for Cell Phones. When I was young child IBM (IBM-84.32) controlled the standard for Mainframe and AT&T (T-26.81) the phone business. You can often see companies that are monopolistic in a revolutionary industry have a probability of achieving super wealth. Several monopolies we listed achieved the world's largest stock value.

Is Intermec a new monopoly?

Intermec or any company for that matter to have a chance to be great monopoly it must have a degree of control. The question is how much control does Intermec have over the RFID industry?

To answer this simple but very important question we devised an extremely effective test. Intermec claim's to be an integral part of the Gen 2 standard. The definition of de facto standard is recognized by all its peers as the standard.

Does the RFID industry recognize Intermec as the standard?

Companies like Symbol Technology (SBL-10.64), Zebra Technology (ZBRA-45.45), Philips Electronics (PHG-32.38), Texas Instrument (TXN-30.59) are some of the leading companies in RFID space that also have the size, technical background, law staff and other resources to verify or reject Intermec's claim. Accepting Intermec's claim means paying royalties to Intermec for years, you must understand if possible all theses companies would NOT want to pay royalties so their preferences is to reject Intermec's claim.

All the companies mentioned above and more have agreed that Intermec will receive royalties on every Gen 2 RFID product they make. No one wants to pay 2.5-7% royalty to Intermec to utilize the Gen 2 RFID standards. Especially leaders in RFID like Phillips, Texas Instrument and Symbol which all have a major leading position in the market, and their agreements with Intermec greatly validated Intermec's claims.

It was when the largest company and Intermec's closest competitor, Symbol Technologies, that created the biggest challenge to Intermec's claims. Symbol Technologies not only refused to pay early in the process, but sued Intermec asking for Intermec to pay Symbol royalties for their many patents and Symbol wanted their own version of the standard.

Symbol gave up their court fight and agrees to join Intermec's Rapid Start Licensing program. When your biggest competitor allows you to sign a controlling contract where Symbol has to pay royalties to Intermec every time Symbol sells a RFID hardware product. To me the Intermec/Symbol relationship Intermec has provided validation with a very high degree of control.

Many experts assign a similar agreement to the rise of Microsoft and the downfall of IBM when IBM accepted the Microsoft PC standard. I believe history will say the same thing when Nokia (NOK-20.52) then the largest cell phone company in the world signed and agreed to pay royalties to Qualcomm on all Nokia 3G phones.

It reminds me of a very old saying "the king is dead, long live the king" if you can dictate your will to the powerful companies your have a high degree of control.

Gutter vs. Shingles

Intermec is using their RFID control to establish what I call a gutter business. In Oregon it rains a lot and what we know are roofs. Water from shingles flow into a gutter. In some cases the gutter and shingles are co-dependent and need each other for the roof to work properly. First gutters have tremendous leverage. Second you could measure the number of shingles or measure the square footage of the roof to understand the amount of possible water flow or leverage the gutter might achieve We believe gutter based companies are far better companies to own. If you wanted fill a cup of water would you put your cup under a shingle or a gutter? It's my believe that by far most companies are shingles business models, but the gutter business model have far great potential to grow profits utilizing and leveraging the shingles.

In a few situations all the shingles combined could flow into a single gutter. A roof with a single gutter or a monopoly has one of the best business models and has a chance to leverage the entire industry to enrich its profits.

Intermec is possibly building this type of business model and has awarded the premier client of Cisco, and IBM while having alliances with Microsoft, Oracle and SAP. Companies that joined Intermec's Rapid Start Program and agreed to pay Intermec a royalty on every RFID hardware product they sell.

? Accu-Sort

? Avery Dennison

? AWID

? Datamax

? EM Micro

? Feig Electronics

? Hand Held Products

? LXE

? Metrologic

? Paxar

? PSC

? Psion Teklogix

? SAMSys

? Sato

? Symbol Technologies

? Texas Instruments

? ThingMagic

? Toppan Printing

? Zebra Technologies

All of these agreement occurred in 2005 after the new Gen 2 standards for RFID established in early 2005.

If we are right Intermec should have outstanding and accelerated growth for the duration of the Gen 2 RFID standard business cycle possible Gen 2 Standard last about 9 years based on many business cycles we followed.

Risk

Intermec's placement and degree of control in the Gen 3 RFID standard is very unclear, and will take many years from now to achieve any clarity.

A company could challenge Intermec's legal position. Even though Intermec has about 149 patents in the RFID industry the largest IP portfolio, a single company could sue making Intermec's patent unenforceable. Knowing that Symbol Technologies is well funded and a leader in the RFID industry and has attempted this and failed, it makes the hurdle even higher for a smaller less funded company to attempt this knowing that it would be a very costly approach.

Intermec appears to limit the companies that license their technology especially during their Rapid Start Program. If in future years Intermec is found to be a monopolistic company this could be very damaging in a court system. Intermec should give every company an equal chance.

RFIG Gen 2 is still not Intermec's core profit center and there are no guarantees that RFID will become revolutionary. Most all new technologies have gone through long incubation cycles before becoming mainstream which RFID Gen 2 will probably incur.

In my opinion the great appreciation will come when the royalties are the main profit center, and that may be many years if it ever occurs.

Conclusion

To summarize

1. The RFID appears to approaching a revolution growth cycle.

2. Intermec is the technology patent leader and has degrees of control over the Gen 2 RFID Standard.

3. Intermec is forming a gutter business model combined with a possible monopoly position giving Intermec the ability to have possible leverage over the entire RFID industry

If Intermec could achieve the three items above it has a chance to achieve

a: Modern Monopoly Effect.

A Modern Monopoly Effect is when a single monopolistic company achieves a stock market value roughly equal to all the companies' market value that supports the standard. In Intermec's case Intermec could achieve stock market values about equal to all RFID hardware partners businesses that supports Intermec Gen 2 Standard for RFID.

The water from all the shingles on a roof could roughly equals the water flowing into a gutter, a single monopolistic gutter named Intermec.

If Intermec becomes a Modern Monopoly Effect possibly it will become the fifth time we have identified and owned a Modern Monopoly Effect.

Randy Durig manages the Monopoly Technology and Monopoly Blue Chip Portfolio's He tries to own companies that measurably have control or monopolize their markets.

Monopoly Blue Chip Portfolio National Performance Rankings: 3rd

In the United States, Ranked by 3 year annual return , for Large Capitalization Blend, 4th Quarter 2005, By Money Manager Review

Durig Capital is a registered investment advisor. If you know someone that would like our research services just enclose the name, day time phone, and email or rdurig@durig.com or call toll free 877-359-5319

Randy Durig owns Intermec, Qualcomm and Cisco in discretionary client's portfolios and in his own account. Past performance is not a guarantee for future returns. All information we believe to be correct but make no guarantee to accuracy

For more information about monopoly investing please visit http://www.money-manager.us, http://www.durig.com,& http://www.investment-investment.us

Xterprise Announces Most Comprehensive RFID AnalytiX™ Product in the Market

2008-03-04T02:43:00.000-08:00

Dallas, TX (ContentDesk) April 20, 2006 -- AnalytiX is a data analytics product targeted to assist retail suppliers shipping RFID products to Wal-Mart and other retailers by monitoring and quantifying the benefits of using RFID within retail supply chains.Unlike other RFID analytics offerings in the market, Xterprises AnalytiX product provides the most innovative user interface, the richest retail RFID analytics available in the market and the first of its kind monitoring of production source tagging solution performance. The product is fully compatible with Wal-Marts Retail Link as well as many Enterprise Systems data interfaces such as SAP.Xterprise is currently working with members of the Wal-Mart top100 in pilots and will demonstrate the product at both the EPC Technology Expo/Wal-Mart supplier forum (Dallas, April 25-26) and RFID Journal Live (Las Vegas, May 1-3).RFID AnalytiX is being launched under three deployment models:" Traditional License - for those customers who are already shipping RFID tagged product to retailers and are ready to start turning the sea of data into valuableinformation a site license of the application can be purchased" Software-As-A-Service - Customers can also purchase the benefits of the application by entering into a 1 year or 2 year professional services engagement and drive the same value through this alternative deployment model." Pre-Start pilot program - for suppliers who have not begun sending RFID tagged product to retailers.The innovative pre-start pilot is a turnkey offering for suppliers who want to measure the true opportunity value that tagging product for Wal-Mart provides. Under pre-start model, Xterprise will help label a number of full pallets of product and then use AnalytiX to watch tagged product move through Wal-Mart supply chain. The resultantinformation provides definitive data on where the opportunity is for tagging product to reduce out of stocks at retailers and what source tagging level would best drive value for the company.Through our discussions with retail suppliers over the last three years, one thing is clear: they do not know what really happens in the last 100 feet of a Wal-Mart store and that makes it very difficult to determine what is the correct RFID source tagging strategy and how much sales could be generated by tagging product, stated Dean Frew, Xterprise President and CEO. We developed AnalytiX and this Pre-Start program so that we can help our clients manage through these questions by using AnalytiX generated facts.

A common example of the products value is when we show data that determines the promotional product inventory is not being replenished efficiently and helping merchandisers better estimate sale lost due to supply chain inefficiencies.AnalytiX is a supply chain application built on top of the most recent SQL Server platform, SQL Server 2005. It leverages the new Integration Services toolset to extract and meaningfully transform raw data from any number of internal, retailer or other external data sources into a clean, consistent and coherent data warehouse. The AnalytiX data warehouse is closely monitored and maintained to ensure data quality. It is continuously updated to reflect changes in the RFID landscape and supply chain processes.The AnalytiX product leverages the new Reporting Services toolset to deliver a comprehensive set of standard and ad hoc reports. In addition it utilizes the new Analysis Services to provide powerful OLAP reporting capabilities.

All of this reporting functionality can be securely accessed via an intuitive, easy to use, web based portal.Nearly every customer we talk with is trying, with little success, to use the RFID read data to create competitive advantage in the marketplace. Our team has built the AnalytiX product to address these broad reaching market needs, said Steve Hall, Xterprise SVP of Global Sales. The initial response from clients when they see the product has been extremely positive.About Xterprise -- Xterprise Incorporated, an industry leading developer of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) supply chain solutions is the RFID solution provider for many of the worlds most respected supply chains and fastest growing companies.Xterprise is known for understanding the complex business problems their customers need solved and then using ground-breaking technology to create those solutions.Xterprise takes pride in the ability to merge best practices, supply chain processes, material handling, system hardware and RFID Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) application software, enterprise systems integration, data analytics, demand signaling applications and remote solution support.With clients in Asia, Europe, and throughout North America, the worldwide headquarters for Xterprise is located in Carrollton, TX. For more information, call 972-690-9460, ext. 300 or visit the website at www.xterprise.com

New Product Simplifies Implementation of RFID Technology

2008-03-04T02:42:00.000-08:00

Manchester, NH (ContentDesk) April 19, 2006 -- As radio frequency identification (RFID) is becoming increasing prevalent in the government and private sectors, many are struggling with the complexities of integrating this technology with existing back end information systems and dealing with the vast amount of information being produced. Recognizing this emerging problem, Lockwood has developed an extremely simple and effective solution to this problem entitled QuickTrac?.The usefulness of RFID lies in the innate ability to automatically capture vast amounts of information using radio frequency technology. Specialized equipment is required and offered by many well-known manufacturers. Yet, to use this technology with existing legacy applications poses a new set of problems. To begin, software commonly referred to as middleware is required.

Middleware must be integrated with back end system(s) to enable those applications to interact with RFID tools. Middleware typically requires modification to the back end system in order to implement and is only a part of the equation. Users also need flexible software for facilitating data capture and event processing. Event processing is a technique that allows transformation of raw data into actionable data. This is particularly important in light of, the amount of data that RFID is able to generate.

QuickTrac features all three characteristics; integration, data collection and event processing.QuickTrac adapts proprietary back end systems to interact with RFID data capture without modification to the software. QuickTrac simplifies integration between its embedded RFID middleware and any back end system, using an intuitive point-and-click wizard. The QuickTrac kit also includes user-defined data collection scripts whereby the user determines what the application will do during collection activities. QuickTracs built-in event processing (EventMgr?) represents a sense and respond tool that empowers the user to predefine a set of rules for monitoring and reacting to emerging incidents or events. The EventMgr continually evaluates the flow of raw data, while compiling and reacting to actionable situations, such as movement into or out of restriction environments.

Our vision with QuickTrac was a turn-key solution that could be used immediately right out of the box says Brad Vinecombe, CEO of Lockwood Technology, we wanted to design a product that was easy to use as well as quick to implement, regardless of need or back end system. And, we wanted it to be turn-key where the purchaser was provided with everything necessary to begin to immediately use the product within minutes from opening the box. The QuickTrac kit, which is configurable to meet specific needs, includes; portable and fixed RFID detection hardware, a pre-configured laptop computer and a supply of smart tracking tags. The Operator simply unpacks the kit from the rugged, weatherproof case, turns it on, adjusts the system characteristics to align with their specific objective and begins using it in minutes.QuickTrac can be found on the World Wide Web athttp://lockwoodtechnology.com.

Chinese Government Pushing RFID Market To Bring Down Logistic Cost

2008-03-03T01:37:00.000-08:00

February 1, 2006

The Ministry of Commerce declared that the external logistics in China had jumped by 30% annually to reach a high of 38.4 trillion RMB in 2004. The conclusion, that the growth of the national economy is progressively reliant on logistics is evident from the logistics demand coefficient (the ratio between the GDP and the logistic amount), which has touched 2.8. In order to be at par with other developed countries, the Chinese logistics manufacturing has to go a long way.

Chinese manufacturers are of the opinion that the retailers should bear the cost of the RFID tags as it benefits them. They firmly believe that they should be exempted from paying for these tags, as these tags help the retailers and suppliers to keep a track of their products. These wireless tags also help the retailers to manage their inventories more competently.

China is the largest supplier of source products to manufacturers worldwide. Out of the $ 200billion worth of goods imported by the US annually, nearly 70% are from China. The United States imported goods valued at over $ 120 billion from China in the first half of 2004, which constitutes a 23% rise from the previous year.

There are two important factors instrumental in the implementation of RFID in China. To begin with, the Chinese government is laying special stress on the country?s underdeveloped logistics infrastructure, which is lagging behind, unable to keep pace with the development in the field of manufacturing over the decade. Secondly, the abundance of cheap labor has attracted manufacturers from all over the world.

The findings of a recently conducted market research report by RNCOS ? a leading market research report company, on the RFID market in China, discloses that the RFID market is growing at a phenomenal speed having already crossed the 1.6Bn RMB mark last year.

According to the report by RNCOS ?RFID: Outlook China?, government support and promotion are the prime factors for rapid development of the RFID market in China. However, other factors could also become important driving forces for facilitating its development, e.g. formation of standards, lowering of prices, further maturing of technology, and further reinforcement of privacy protection.

The report recommends Venture Capitalists to keep a close watch on the RFID market due to the following reasons: there is enough space for new investors in the booming RFID market; RFID technology can easily be transferred into new products providing immense business opportunities.

The report published by RNCOS further states that though RFID technology has gained recognition globally, companies in South China are ignorant to the advantages of the technology and are reluctant to adopt RFID technology in the Pearl River delta area.

To purchase your copy: http://www.rncos.com/Report/COM27.htm
For more information about the report please visit www.rncos.com

Five Things You Should Know About Contactless RFID Credit Cards

2008-03-01T02:06:00.000-08:00

What is a contactless credit card and how does it work?

For decades, credit cards have relied on magnetic stripes located on the reverse side of the card to store data. To transmit this data, the card must be swiped through a magnetic reader, making physical contact with the stripe. A contactless credit card, on the other hand, stores its data on a chip embedded in the card's plastic. This data is transmitted not magnetically, but rather via a tiny radio signal when the card comes in close proximity of a special reader at the checkout stand. This works through radio frequency identification technology, also known as RFID. When the chip comes close enough to the reader, an antenna on the chip is jolted to life by the electromagnetic field created by the reader, and transaction data is sent to into the system.

What are the advantages of contactless credit cards?

For starters, these RFID credit cards are much faster and more convenient than traditional magnetic stripe cards. A cardholder simply waves the card over the reader, waits a moment for the acceptence signal from the machine, and that's it. There's no need to fumble for cash, and with transactions under $25, there is no need to key in a PIN code or sign a receipt. Just wave and go. Also, since the card never leaves the user's hand, it is considered by some to be more secure.

What are the disadvantages of contactless credit cards?

Some opponents to contactless credit cards have contended that there are security risks with using these RFID credit cards, as the radio transmission could potentially get intercepted by a criminal with malicious intentions. The good news, however, is that the actual credit card number is not transmitted via radio wave. Rather, it is a unique encrypted code only good for RFID transactions. Also, just like ordinary cards, cardholders are not liable for any fraudulent charges.

Where can contactless credit cards be used?

Currently, Visa Contactless, American ExpressPay, and MasterCard PayPass are available at select retailers in certain locations in the United States, including 7-Eleven, McDonald's, KFC, Arby's, Walgreens, Sony Style, Wawa, Sheetz, CVS Pharmacy, and a variety of movie theaters. Retailers capable of handing contactless credit card transactions will have a special symbol on their credit card reader located at the checkout stand. RFID credit cards can also be used at any location that accepts ordinary credit cards, since the new contactless cards will still have a regular magnetic stripe on the back. Who offers contactless credit cards?

All new American Express Blue and Blue Cash cards now come equipped with the contactless feature. Also available from American Express is an RFID key fob that can be linked to most existing credit card accounts. Chase has teamed with MasterCard and Visa to offer Chase blink cards in a variety of styles.

Joey Loma recommends Find Credit Cards to apply for a contactless RFID credit card

The Disadvantages of RFID Credit Cards

2008-03-01T02:05:00.000-08:00

RFID credit cards are taking the nation. Also known as Radio Frequency Identification, RFID for short, these cards allow you to make purchases with your credit card without even having to type in a pin number, swipe your card through a reader, or even sign for the sale. Instead, a coil radio transmitter insider your card?imagine how small it must be!?sends out a tagged radio signature, that then gets transformed by the way you move your finger over the card.

In essence, your personal way of "swiping" your card with your finger gives the signal a distinct "shape" that acts like an electronic fingerprint. In theory, no one else could have this electronic fingerprint. It?s not so much theory anymore. Some credit card companies are already experimenting with RFID technology. You can use them at gas stations, convenience stores, maybe even vending machines.

But is this technology as secure as all the experts say it is? It may be, but the thought of not signing for your purchase may make you have the heebie-jeebies. Also, usually with regular credit cards, the cashier is supposed to look at your card and compare signatures, to make sure you are you, each and every time you make a purchase. With RFID cards, you forgo this extra step of security.

Another issue with RFID cards, and one you won?t hear the credit card companies make, is that RFID cards make it possible to too easily to spend and drive up your debt. If all a person has to do is wave their card at the fast food restaurant, to get gas, to buy that expensive new flat-screen televisions set, then chances are they may start waving their card more and more. In the long run, that will make a ton more money for the credit card companies. But for the buyer, that could mean a long lifetime of living in debt.

Another potential issue with RFID technology is that it could be the next wave of the future for everything from passports to security to get into buildings. It could be used possibly to even track your movements throughout the day, the week, and the year. Just imagine?your car, every building that you enter into, your house, your work?all of them have RFID security technology. That makes for a chance for Big Brother to keep an eye on you. A scary thought, and pretty far-fetched, yes, but a possible reality none the less thanks to RFID.

Joshua Shapiro recommends Find Credit Cards to find a Citibank credit card offer that?s tailored to suit your financial needs. See http://www.findcreditcards.org/issuer/citibank.php for more information.

joshuashapi@gmail.com

The Disadvantages of RFID Credit Cards

2008-02-29T01:10:00.001-08:00

RFID credit cards are taking the nation. Also known as Radio Frequency Identification, RFID for short, these cards allow you to make purchases with your credit card without even having to type in a pin number, swipe your card through a reader, or even sign for the sale. Instead, a coil radio transmitter insider your card--imagine how small it must be!--sends out a tagged radio signature, that then gets transformed by the way you move your finger over the card.

In essence, your personal way of "swiping" your card with your finger gives the signal a distinct "shape" that acts like an electronic fingerprint. In theory, no one else could have this electronic fingerprint. It's not so much theory anymore. Some credit card companies are already experimenting with RFID technology. You can use them at gas stations, convenience stores, maybe even vending machines.

Another issue with RFID cards, and one you won't hear the credit card companies make, is that RFID cards make it possible to too easily to spend and drive up your debt. If all a person has to do is wave their card at the fast food restaurant, to get gas, to buy that expensive new flat-screen televisions set, then chances are they may start waving their card more and more. In the long run, that will make a ton more money for the credit card companies. But for the buyer, that could mean a long lifetime of living in debt.

Another potential issue with RFID technology is that it could be the next wave of the future for everything from passports to security to get into buildings. It could be used possibly to even track your movements throughout the day, the week, and the year. Just imagine--your car, every building that you enter into, your house, your work--all of them have RFID security technology. That makes for a chance for Big Brother to keep an eye on you. A scary thought, and pretty far-fetched, yes, but a possible reality none the less thanks to RFID.

Joshua Shapiro recommends Find Credit Cards to find a Citibank credit card offer that's tailored to suit your financial needs

The Advantages of RFID Credit Cards

2008-02-29T01:09:00.000-08:00

With all of the wireless technology that is available these days, it's almost a question of how much farther can we go to make things easier? Even swiping a credit card has become too much for some and the invention of RFID credit cards is showing up at your local registers.

What is RFID?

RFID is a radio frequency device that allows information to be transmitted by radio waves. This is much like the FastTrak toll booth payments that allow you to wave a card at the reader to pay your tolls. And it's coming to a restaurant near you.

McDonald's is looking at implementing RFID credit cards so that people can fill their card with money and then wave their card at a register to transmit the payment. It's fast, it's easy, and it saves time in line. Plus it's safer than you might think.

What's great about RFID?

RFID is easy to use and easy to transport. And for those that are nervous about carrying all their information on an RFID credit card, you can rest easy because the information is encrypted and can only be decrypted by an RFID reader. Of course, who's to say that thieves won't come up with a way to get that information without your knowledge? But the general consensus is that RFID is much safer than traditional credit cards.

With traditional credit cards, you can simply enter the information into an online retailer or hand it to an employee who can then take down the information for their own use. This allows for plenty of opportunities for someone to use your information without your permission while on the Internet or by filling out new credit card applications.

With the RFID credit card that information never passes into the employee's hands it goes directly to the server that handles payments. This is much more secure and helps a user feel safer in each transaction. However, with this technology, a thief will just have to take possession of the RFID credit card in order to use it.

Overall, RFID credit cards are the wave of the future, being used widely in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. They allow for simpler transactions and less worry. Even Chase credit cards are thinking about using RFID technology in their cards.

Yours credit cards could be next.

Beth Derkowitz recommends Find Credit Cards for finding the best Chase rewards credit card for you.

RFID Labels What Do I Need To Know For Products In Canada And The USA!

2008-02-27T01:30:00.001-08:00

RFID labels, I hear the term but what does it mean and should I be thinking of using it for my business? RFID is a radio frequency identification . Every product is identified somehow. A sign, a label, a barcode label and an RFID label are all different ways to identify product. Which one should I chose? If I own a lemonade stand chances are I'll make a sign to describe what's in the pitcher. If I manufacture gum, chances are that my label will have words to tell the consumer what it is, and a bar code for the cash register scanner to identify the product and price. RFID uses radio frequencies to transmit data to a reader which captures the data. The reader takes the digital information and downloads it to it's computer so the data may be used and interpreted.

RFID tags or labels contain a micro chip which can store about 2KB of data. This allows you to store more than just it's SKU and price. You can store other important information like which manufacturing plant it comes from, the date it was manufactured and expiration date to name a few. why do we want to capture this information in this way. Business today is about profit, streamlining and being the most productive you can be. If we can capture this data instantly then we can analyze it and make the right decisions quicker and more accurately. If we can reduce manual operations, we increase efficiency and reduce the chance for human errors, either by careless mistakes or wrong assumptions.

This sounds like a great system so why isn't everybody using it? It's not because it's a new technolgy because it isn't. Why the change now? It has been around since atleast the 70's and was primarily used in the army. The reason it hasn't become the accepted norm is the cost. The readers alone can cost $1000.00 each and the labels themselves are considerably more expensive than bar code labels. Without mass acceptance and technological advancements this technology was not thought of as a viable alternative.

Why the change now? Basically it comes down to one word, Walmart. Walmart has grown into such a huge company that to manage it's logistics and supply chain it has become essential to be the most efficient and streamlined as possible. Walmart feels that this technology will help it control it's inventory and procurement costs, thereby increasing it's profitability. It has thus dictated that it's top 50 suppliers start using this technology. This one decision has changed the evolution of RFID labels. Money is now being spent to increase RFID reliability and lower the cost for it's use. We now have second generation RFID labels which are cheaper, more powerful and more reliable than the first generation. Like personal computers this product should become more powerful and cheaper as time goes on. Other mass retailers are jumping on the RFID band wagon not wanting to be left behind and be at a competitive disadvantage.

RFID is available at a limited amount of printers due to the learning curve needed to manufacture these labels properly. Solutions Ink is one of these few companies able to deliver RFID labels and help answer all your questions. If you need more information about your labelling needs email me at steve@solutionsink4u.com or check out www.solutionsink4u.com

Steven Schneidman Solutions Ink steve@solutionsink4u.com www.solutionsink4u.com

Steven Schneidman has taught finance at a Canadian University and worked at the head office of a major Canadian Bank. He currently owns a successful printing and promotional product company.

Viagra and RFID tags

2008-02-26T02:26:00.000-08:00

Viagra's popularity is a known fact. Ever since its launch in 1998 by Pfizer Inc., the erectile dysfunction(ED) drug has performed miracle in the sexual life of millions of its users. The proper usage of Viagra can help in overcoming the ailment of ED to a large extent. Its effectiveness in the treatment of ED is unparallel and due to this factor, lots of dubious companies are making huge chunk of money by manufacturing fake version of it.

Due to this rising business of fake drugs, big companies like Pfizer are incurred with heavy losses as the fake versions of Viagra are available at a much cheaper price. It is a big blow for the company's financial status as the making and manufacturing of Viagra is an expensive affair.

Therefore, to overcome this counterfeit business, Pfizer Inc., the manufacturer of Viagra has begun to ship its Viagra product with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to its customers in the U.S. It's part of the company's initiative to promote patient safety by combating pharmaceutical counterfeiting. Pfizer is following on the heels of Purdue Pharma, which began tagging every 100-tablet bottle of the painkiller OxyContin since 2004 for controlling the fake drug business.

The reason behind Viagra's selection for the RFID project is because of the fact that it has been a major target for counterfeiters. The benefit of RFID tag is that it discourages counterfeiting because it is both difficult and expensive to duplicate. RFID tags incorporate the EPC into each package, case and pallet of Viagra so that pharmacists and wholesalers can use specially-designed electronic scanners to communicate the code over the internet to a secure Pfizer website.

This particular step taken by Viagra manufacturer is praise worthy as it can prevent Viagra users from buying fake version of the ED drug.

For more infomation on Viagra, visit: http://www.viagrapunch.com

The author is an amateur writer focusing primarily on health related topics or on the health related research findings.

What is RFID and how will it help me?

2008-02-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

RFID technolgy has been around for a few years but we are just hitting the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its many uses. Most people don't even know what RFID is but odds are they have already been affected by it.

You have or are about to own a RFID tag and you don't even know it. If you have an EZ pass in your car that automatically pays the toll when you go past then you have a RFID tag. Wow thats cool is what you are probably saying but that is just one of the uses.

They also use RFID to track cattle and soon they will be using it to track your luggage at the airport. As of this writing the airport in Las Vegas and Toyko Japan is experimenting with it.

You might have read about RFID in the newspaper lately and that is what lead you here. Major department stores are using RFID to track their inventory. You can read all about it on http://www.a1-rfid.com This works by placing a RFID tag on the pallet or the individual boxes and they are read as they are received at the stores from the warehouse.

This has many benefits as there can no longer be items that "fall off the truck" as they say which will help keep cost down. It also keeps less employees on the payroll which is a bad thing since items will be within a few clicks of the mouse to their location.

You may even have heard about people having their medical history placed on a RFID chip and having that chip inbedded in their arm so they will always have their medical history. That is some advanced stuff as the hospital will need a RFID reader to fetch the records.

The is also talk of RFID being used in cell phones. If your boss gives you a new cell phone be weary of it because he might have done it to track you.

You have seen the commercials for ONSTAR where they dispatch help to your car in an emergency. How do they know where you are hmmmm. Like I said there are many things that RFID can and will be used for.

This article can be reprinted and republished as long as it has a hyperlink to www.a1-rfid.com

Vince Ohare is a Free Lance writer featured on over 1000 technolgy websites. You can see more of his articles on http://www.a1-rfid.com

RFID: A Smart Tag Primer

2008-02-13T03:45:00.002-08:00

Good things come in small packages. This familiar clich usually refers to precious stones, but today it's taken on new meaning, in that small things are now protecting items we deem valuable.

Good things come in small packages. This familiar clich usually refers to precious stones, but today it's taken on new meaning, in that small things are now protecting items we deem valuable.

Analysts estimate that the retail industry loses US $50B a year to theft and up to ten times that much to counterfeiting. High-end products such as cosmetics, fragrances and pharmaceuticals are most likely to be stolen or counterfeited. Many retailers and manufacturers believe that this big problem may have a tiny solution RFID smart tags.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an automatic data capture technology that offers unparalleled accuracy in inventory control and supply chain management. Although RFID is a relative newcomer to the media spotlight, the technology has been quietly working its way into our culture and into our lives since it was drafted by the military 60 years ago.

The US Department of Defense first used RFID to track military aircraft during World War II. Since then, this compelling technology has been used extensively in highway toll collection, building security, library circulation, parcel delivery and airport luggage transportation.

What exactly is RFID and how does it affect the future of packaging?

RFID functions as a network of microchip smart tags and receivers. Each smart tag is embedded with a unique electronic product code (EPC) and a micro-antenna. Once assigned, the EPC becomes a DNA-like marker for the item, identifying it from every other item in the world. When a tagged item passes within range of a reader, the reader retrieves the EPC via radio waves, identifies the item and its exact location, and relays this real-time information to a central computer. Taken together, the series of transactions comprise a comprehensive record of the tagged items movement from point of origin to point of sale.

The greatest promise of RFID lies in its application versatility. Smart tags can be affixed to either individual products or to pallets containing multiple units, and can be read through most materials. RFID readers can scan multiple items at one time, making them functionally superior to traditional, uni-task bar code scanners.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Auto-ID Center began to explore commercial applications of RFID in 1999. Wal-Mart, The Gillette Company and Proctor & Gamble were among the first to conduct pallet-level pilot tests. They quickly found that RFID offers improved supply chain visibility and more accurate inventory forecasting. Because RFID does not require line-of-sight operations (contrary to manual bar code scanning) the end users achieved improved inventory control with reduced labor costs.

Encouraged by their success, British retailers Marks & Spencer and Germanys Metro AG quickly adopted RFID applications in their production and distribution channels. The US Department of Defense, Benetton, CVS, Home Depot, Gap, Target, Kohls, Tesco, Coca Cola and Albertsons have all begun incorporating RFID into their supply chain operations. In 2004 Wal-Mart issued a mandate that their Top 100 suppliers become RFID compliant by 2005, and the FDA plans to convert to item-level RFID distribution tracking by 2007.

In spite of strong industry support for RFID, widespread adoption of the technology has been slow. One reason for the delay is the lack of uniform standards for network and data management. For example, smart tags are currently available in low, high or ultra-high frequency versions, with read ranges of as little as a few inches to as much as 30 feet. AIM Global is a consortium of RFID developers and suppliers who are working to establish global RFID standards. Their goal is to educate manufacturers and suppliers about the potential benefits of RFID, and to provide the education and resources necessary to realize ROI from the use of this technology.

Cost and quality concerns have further dampened enthusiasm for RFID. Tag failure rates are reported to be as high as 20% to 30%. At an average cost of $.30 per tag, many suppliers find the prospect of item-level tagging prohibitive.

So far, RFID compliance has been the responsibility of suppliers. Retailers have generally refused to accept any price increases resultant from RFID start-up expenses. As a result, suppliers have had to either absorb the cost of becoming RFID compliant or risk losing lucrative commercial contracts.

However, as RFID becomes the norm manufacturers will look for converters who can provide pre-tagged packaging that is market-standard compliant and ready for entry into the RFID regulated supply chain.

Technology is inherently evolutionary. The logistics of RFID are changing rapidly, with ongoing advancements in ink, labels and methods of smart tag attachment. In a future article I will explore specific developments in converting techniques and the impact of this compelling technology on the packaging industry.

Dennis Bacchetta is the Marketing Manager at Diamond Packaging. He frequently writes on industry topics and technical issues. You may contact him at dbacchetta@diamondpkg.com.

RFID Spychips! Grocery Store Surveillance

2008-02-13T03:45:00.001-08:00

Privacy Storm Over RFID Chips by Mike Banks Valentine

American consumers

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and is a term that will become increasingly well known as usage of the new technology becomes pervasive. There is no question that the tiny chips, which enable tracking of physical goods from the assembly line to warehouse to retail outlet to checkstand, will replace the barcodes previously used for that purpose.

Some RFID chips are tiny, they are nearly indistiguishable from dust in many cases. Photo link:

These dust sized RFID chips are capable of transmitting their own SKU (Sales Keeping Unit), the same info currently encoded in barcodes, distances of up to 20 feet to an "RFID Reader". But that's not all these diminuitive little chips can do. They are capable of sending a unique serial number that can identify the item it's embedded in - down to it's date and location of manufacture. Barcodes were limited to carrying information that identified classes of products. RFID carries information equivalent to the product DNA, while allowing a number for every item on the planet!

When that item passes an "RFID reader" at the manufacturer's door, the tracking system knows the item has passed out of the building. Another reader signals that it has now passed into a train or plane to be shipped to a warehouse, where another reader tracks arrival and storage information, then successive readers know it passes to truck, grocery shelf, retail check- stand and out the door. All of this can now be accomplished without opening containers, leading to huge cost savings throughout the "supply chain".

Privacy issues don't arise until consumers link that chain. Walmart is now REQUIRING their 100 largest suppliers to use RFID tags at the pallet level. Meaning that those tags are currently in use to identify and track groups of products as they arrive at the Walmart warehouse up until shelving at the giant retailer. Some products, such as Gillette razors, had been testing individual item tracking up until final sale and removal from the Walmart store. Privacy advocates slowed that practice by launching a boycott of Gillette.

If the privacy concerns over tracking of a single product through the store to sale caused slowing of implementation of this technology, what can we expect when EVERY product is RFID tagged? There is no doubt this is coming and not in the distant future, but within the next 5 years or so. The US Department of Defense is now requiring ALL vendors to use RFID technology and embed tags in products sold to the US military by next year.

Clearly there will be little or no outcry from military and government personnel about privacy invading technology since government is rarely expected to respect privacy "in-house". But if all military vendors are compelled to use RFID chips in every item used in every one of the millions of supplies sold to and used by the military - by next year, 2005 - then there is little doubt that the entire US goverment will soon implement this same policy for all items purchased by Uncle Sam and used by government employees.

More and more giant retailers like Walmart are requiring suppliers to use RFID technology. The German chain Metro Group, which operates 2300 stores in Europe and Asia has demanded the same of their suppliers. Metro Group has gone even further with RFID to operate what they call the "Store of the future" where shoppers needn't remove items from shopping carts to pay for them. They simply pass by RFID readers and all items will be tallied and paid for. Metro stores provide RFID tagged "loyalty cards" to consumers that identifies those shoppers by reading within purses and wallets as those consumers enter and leave any of the 2300 Metro stores.

Business Week Article on
Metro Future Stores Protest

Target Stores announced this month that they too, would be requiring suppliers to RFID tag at the pallet and case level by 2005.

Privacy loving Americans may not stand for the "Big Brother" implications of a system like that used by the German retail chain. An anti-RFID web site has been launched by privacy advocates and named "Spychips" for the ability of the chips to track consumers and link their buying habits to other personally identifiable information.

A recent piece by technology commentator Jeffrey Harrow has a chilling description of how RFID technology might betray consumers movements and link their buying habits in a huge database. Harrow is a consultant and analyst of emerging technology. He often comments on privacy implications related to implementation of emerging technology. ------------------------------------------------------------- Harrow paints a harrowing picture of RFID readers.

"The issue is that these many sensors . . . would also note the passing of your car key's unique ID; the unique ID of your driver's license, and even the unique ID of each and every dollar bill in your wallet. ... And if all the chains' main computers and those of smaller stores made this mass of random information available to say, a Marketing firm, or to other stores along your path (for a fee, of course), or to a government organization upon demand, then a very detailed picture of "You" - your travel habits, your spending habits (remember those individually tagged dollar bills?), almost everything about you, could be mixed, matched and dissected in ways that you might, or might not, agree with. This might be the ultimate "data mining" warehouse."

Harrow Technology Report

RFID is publicly discussed only by technology enthusiasts like Harrow and a few privacy advocates concerned about the implications of that "data mining warehouse". But as those RFID chips supplant barcodes over the next couple of years, we'll be hearing from privacy advocates when the Big Brother implications become clearer to consumers. Mark your calendar for early in 2005 and prepare to weather the coming storm of privacy concerns that could reach hurricane proportions.

------------------------------------------------------------ Mike Banks Valentine is a web journalist covering privacy issues where you can learn about Automotive Event Data Recorders or EDR's, Computer SpyWare, Identity Theft, Surveillance, HIPAA, COPPA, TIA, GLB and privacy implications of the USA Patriot Act.

RF Engineering for 802.11 WLANJoe Bardwell

The article describes electromagnetic propagation and how RF engineering concepts can be applied specifically to 802.11 Wi-Fi WLANs. The popular formulae often applied to wireless networking are explained in clear, concise terms, with the math and physics being included. These include free space path loss, Fresnel zone calculation, and even an introduction to the Maxwell wave equations. The official title of the paper is, "I'm Going to Let My Chauffeur Answer That.", an allusion to a humorous story explained in the paper. The full text of the paper is available on the Connect802 website, in the Literature section at: www.Connect802.com/literature

Mr. Bardwell is a recognized technical expert and speaker and is co-author of the book, "Troubleshooting Campus Networks" (Wiley). He is Chief Scientist and President of Connect802 Corporation, a Wi-Fi design and systems integration company in California. (www.Connect802.com)

BIGSquid RFID: Leading RFID Solution in India

2008-02-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

BIGSquid RFID: Leading RFID Solution in India

RFID (pronounced as separate letters) short for radio frequency identification. It is a technology, which uniquely identifies objects automatically using wireless radio communications.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technique of distantly piling and recovering data by means of devices known as RFID tags. An RFID tag is a little object, like a sticky label, that can be integrated into a product. RFID tags hold antennas to facilitate them to accept and react to radio-frequency inquiries from an RFID transceiver.

What is RFID tags? What are the different RFID tags?

RFID tags are of two types: active RFID and passive RFID. Passive RFID tags dont have their own power supply. The little electrical current stimulated in the antenna by the inward radio frequency scan gives adequate power for the tag to send a rejoinder. Because of power and cost factors, the rejoinder of a passive RFID tag is essentially concise. It is normally just an ID number (GUID). Shortage of its own power supply crafts the device very small. Commercially accessible products exist that can be implanted beneath the skin. The least such devices commercially accessible measured 0.4 mm 0.4 mm, and thinner than a sheet of paper. Such devices are virtually undetectable. Passive tags have practical read ranges that differ from about 10 mm up to about 5 meters. Passive tags are cheap to manufacture.

Active RFID tags, ought to have a power source, and may have longer ranges and larger memories than passive tags, as well as the capability to accumulate additional information sent by the transceiver. The smallest active tags are about the size of a coin. Many active tags have convenient ranges of tens of meters, and a battery life up to several years. While the cost factors of passive tags over active tags are noteworthy, other factors including accuracy and dependability make the use of active tags very common today.

A number of nations have anticipated embedding RFID devices in new passports to ease proficient machine reading of biometric data. The RFID-enabled passport distinctively identifies its holder; in the proposal currently under thought, the RFID tag will also comprise a range of other personal information (More info http://www.bigsquid.org)

BIGSquid RFID

BIG Squid RFID is not merely integrating various RFID middleware (tags and readers) with our own products, but we have formed partnerships with other leading companies that enable us to provide supply chain solutions for various clients. BIGSquid RFID provides solutions to various industries like pharmaceutical, manufacturing, textile etc., across the globe.

BIGSquid RFID is similar to bar code technology by automatically collecting information about a product or transaction quickly, easily and without human error. Lets understand some common differences between RFID and Bar Code.

BIGSquid RFID and Bar code are both identification technologies that hold data that is accessed by some type of reader. In actuality, they complement each other very well and can be used effectively side by side in many applications. Bar code is an optical technology and RFID is a radio technology. However, unlike barcode technology, it provides a contact less data link, without need for line of sightfor example articles inside a cardboard boxor concerns about harsh or dirty environments that restrict the use of bar codes. Just like bar code, RFID tags are available with different memory sizes and encoding options. The ways these technologies exchange data account for most of the differences between RFID and bar code and help determine where each identification technology is best put to use. (More info http://www.bigsquid.org)

BIG Squid RFID uses an integrated microchip and antenna that reads information. The combination of the chip and antenna is called an RFID tag. There are two types of tags, and therefore two types of systems, active and passive. In passive systems, which are the most common, an RFID reader transmits an energy field that "wakes up" the tag and provides the power for the tag to operate. In active systems, a battery in the tag is used to boost the effective operating range of the tag and to offer additional features over passive tags, such as temperature sensing. The radio waves that are sent back and forth between tag and transmitter contain the data in the tag, and this data is then converted by the reader and transferred into a computer system.
Companies are focusing on passive UHF tags, which costs less than 50 cents today in volumes of 1 million tags or more. Their read range isn't as far -- typically less than 20 feet vs. 100 feet or more for active tags -- but they are far less expensive than active tags and can be disposed of with the product packaging. (More info http://www.bigsquid.org)

The Key Components to an RFID System are a number of components including tags of different sizes catering the different industrial needs, RFID readers and system software.

An RFID reader, usually connected to a Personal Computer, serves the same purpose as a barcode scanner. It can also be battery-powered to allow mobile transactions with RFID tags. The RFID reader handles the communication between the Information System and the RFID tag.

The BIGSquid RFID Software collects, permutes and stores the data collected from the tag in a back end like MySQL, SQL Server etc. This is usually similar to any other data collection software.

Company Profile
In Brief BIGSquid RFID is a technology company exclusively into Radio Frequency Identification Solutions. Our aim is to bring out high end RFID products that will help the business needs of various segments.

Our Team consists of experienced people from the industry with several years of R & D expertise in the field. To know more about our team write to team@bigsquid.org

Team lead Satheesh G Nair has over 14 years of engineering management experience in networking systems, computer systems and applications. He has been working on middleware technologies right from 1994. This exposure and understanding is the basis on which BIGSquid is built.

Satheesh is also the Co - founder of TrueBlue Technologies, where he built a enterprise mobile application technology company from scratch and managed the entire development process from product conceptualization to first customer ship. Products developed here are in commercial service in service provider networks around the globe. His background in building intelligent networking was particularly relevant to TrueBlue's future proof architectural model for next-generation mobile service and application delivery services model.

Prior to founding TrueBlue, Satheesh led a number of engineering development teams. These included the systems team for GISTROLON AG (a 51:49 Joint venture between ROMAG AG and SWISSTELECOM) in Switzerland and the innovative intelligent network management system for ECHELON'S LON based networks at Swiss telecom named Lontree. Satheesh holds Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and Technology from University of Bangalore.

Please visit http://www.bigsquid.org to get more information on related topics. Contact us http://www.bigsquid.org/Contactus.html

From the boardroom to reality: RFID in the fashion apparel / textile industry

2008-02-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

From the boardroom to reality: RFID in the fashion apparel / textile industry

Many Fashion Apparel / Textile companies - particularly those with a large network of stores - are well underway in terms of streamlining their supply chain and optimizing sales forecasts and distribution. They are now looking for ways to enhance revenues and market share by adopting modern ways of managing stores and inventory. RFID has now become a centrepiece in their strategic thinking. Some companies are also stepping up the process into actual implementation.

A new business model for Fashion Apparel and Textile chains

Leading Fashion Apparel / Textile companies have significantly modified their business model.

Shifting away from manufacturing, Fashion Apparel & Textile companies have built competitive advantage, based on new ways of delivering value to their consumers.

A new business model has developed and stabilized based on a centralized approach to design and logistics. A typical business model now includes central design, hundreds of external suppliers, (most often in Asia), and one or two central warehouses that serve as a logistical hub for stocking a large networks of retail outlets.

The new frontier is in the retail store

The cost cutting side of supply chain management is to a large extent behind us. It has already yielded most of its benefits.

The time is coming for additional revenue generation. Today, most large network Fashion Apparel & Textile companies focus on improving the "store side" of their supply chain and distribution operations.

Active Fashion Apparel & Textile chains are absolutely confident that the first benefits of RFID implementation will come from store-level applications such as real and/or near real time inventory linked to stock management systems and store re-stocking processes.

Typically, industries go through 5 steps in implementing a store-level RFID initiative:

Market Observation: Talking to business specialists, they gather information on technology accuracy and reliability, costs, and future trends.

Business Case: Metrics are designed and implemented on core store-level and DC-level processes. Consumer behavior is assessed.

The upper line of the business case is built upon additional sales related issues, improved inventory, stock management, and store re-stocking refinements.

Costs savings include staff time allocations, counting / checking, shrink reduction.

Costs include hardware and software technology (tags, readers, software & middleware), integration, training, roll-out and systems operation.

Technology Test / Adaptation: Companies implement a simulated store environment and test accuracy and reliability in boxes, on shelves, and on hangers. This step lasts for a period of a few months.

Real-size test: Companies implement a live test in one or several stores to prove the business case and check applicability of store-level processes in a live environment. Assessment metrics are those of the business case (additional sales and cost reduction). This step lasts about six months.

Deployment / Rollout: Rolling out to the network. It is envisioned that rollout should be as fast as possible in order to realize a quicker Return on Investment. A critical preoccupation is also to avoid the coexistence of several processes and to drop legacy processes as soon as possible.

Building the business case: Network size is the multiplier

A quasi consensus emerges in the Fashion Apparel & Textile Industry: With tag prices at about 10 cents per unit, and reading accuracy at 98-99%, RFID applications in the store offer a compelling business case.

Better inventory management and better re-stocking generates additional revenues, reduced % of missed sales, and lower shrinkage.

Cost savings are mainly generated in the Warehouses / Distribution Centers.

Initiative related costs include: Investment in hardware facilities, middleware, integration, RFID tags, and roll out costs (training, implementation, etc)

Obviously, the larger the network the higher the return. Proactive companies are considering rolling out to their whole network as quickly as possible.

Other potential benefits not covered in the analysis are: Better staff time allocation in the stores, reduction of transportation costs, and specific processes automation at the DC level (such as increased automatic picking).

Taking the RFID issue from the boardroom to reality

Moving from market observation to development of a business case is typically a Management Team initiative.

Typically, the role of the CEO is to initiate the business case, to assess the results with the Management Team in terms of competitive advantage and created value, and to decide whether or not to launch a pilot.

Senior Executives involved are most often the Chief Operating Officer, the Logistics Manager, the CTO or IT Manager, and the CFO. In the case where a Network Manager is in the organizational matrix (the person who manages the stores network) this individual is also involved.

Most often, Fashion Apparel and Textile industries have built lean organizations, based on an intimate knowledge and control of their processes and metrics. They therefore tend to develop their business cases internally, with limited or no help from external parties such as consultants.

Conclusions: RFID at the turning point

The Fashion Apparel / Textile Industry is at a crossroad in terms of RFID applications.

Obviously, in the short term, store-level applications are seen as the most promising ones mainly because of their direct impact on customer satisfaction and revenues.

RFID represents a new opportunity for delivering value to both customers and shareholders. They try to maximize value by adopting an end-to-end approach to RFID adoption.

TAGSYS ( ) is the global leader in item-level RFID infrastructure. TAGSYS provides RFID systems and tags for end-to-end item-level tracking that automates labor-intensive processes, authenticates and safeguards goods, and enables real-time inventory and asset visibility. The company is headquartered in France's Smart Valley with offices in the USA (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) and Asia (Hong Kong). More information on TAGSYS can be found at

RFID Privacy and You

2008-02-09T02:15:00.001-08:00

RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is a tiny wireless technology which has the potential to radically transform the commerce world. It consists of an inexpensive chip, often smaller than a grain of sand, which can be read up to several meters away. The hope among retailers, is that the technology can be used as a next-generation barcode, automating inventory levels, and thus cutting costs for manufacturers and retailers. While the technology does offer some potentially remarkable opportunities, it also raises some concerns with regard to individual privacy and corporate espionage.

While barcode-type RFID tags are not likely to reach consumers on a regular basis in the near future, there is little doubt that with the success of early trials, they eventually will. Consequently, concerns about privacy infringement with regard to RFID are important not only in the theoretical sphere, but increasingly such discussions have vital practical applications.

SPECIFIC PRIVACY CONCERNS

RFID tags differ from conventional barcode tags in a number of ways. It is these differences that create the benefit of adopting the technology, while simultaneously creating the greatest concern over the privacy issues involved. For example, under today's bar code technology, a pack of Wrigley's Gum sold in Houston, Texas has the same barcode as a pack sold in New York City or Ontario. With RFID, however, each pack would have a unique ID code which could be tied to the purchaser of that gum when they use an 'item registration system' such as a frequent shopper card or a credit card.

Continuing with the Gum example, the purchaser could then be tracked if he/she ever entered that same store again, or perhaps more frightening, if they entered any other store with RFID reading capability. Because unlike a barcode, RFID can be read at a distance of up to a few yards. Meaning that if you enter a store with a pack of gum in your pocket, the reader can identify that pack of gum, the time and date you bought it, where you bought it, and how frequently you come into the store. If you used a credit card or a frequent shopper card to purchase it, the manufacturer and store could also tie that information to your name, address, and email. You could then receive targeted advertisements by gum companies as you walk down the aisle, or receive mailings through your e-mail or snail mail about other products.

As the technology behind RFID advances, the potential for privacy infringement does as well. A more recent development is a study which reveals that RFID already has the capability to determine the distance of a tag from the reader location. With such technology already available, it is not difficult to imagine a situation in which retailers could determine the location of individuals within their store, and thus target specific advertisements to that customer based upon past purchases. In effect, that store would be creating a personal log of your past purchases, your shopping patterns, and ultimately your behavioral patters. While such information gathering would be considered intrusive enough by many consumer's standards, the danger that such information could be sold to other retailers, (similar to the way such profiles are currently sold regarding internet commerce), could create potentially devastating information vulnerabilities. While some RFID critics have pointed out that the technology could lead to some sort of corporate 'Big Brother' there is a more widespread concern that allowing RFID to develop without legal restrictions will eliminate the possibility for consumers to refuse to give such information to retailers.

COUNTER-MEASURES

Despite these and other such dangers, however, there are some steps being taken to mitigate these privacy issues. For example, a recent proposal would require that all RFID-tagged products be clearly labeled. This would give consumers the choice to select products without RFID, or at a minimum to recognize that the items they select are being tracked. For those unsatisfied with disclosure, there also exist a growing number of products designed to limit their exposure to RFID tagged products. One such product is Kill Codes a command which turns off all RFID tags immediately as the consumer comes into contact with them, thus entirely eliminating the effectiveness of the technology. Another proposal, however, RSA Blocker Tags, try to address privacy concerns while maintaining the integrity of the product. Under this technology, the item can only be tracked by that store's authorized reader, meaning that customers cannot be tracked outside of the store in which they purchased the item.

CONCLUSION

While some of the dangers posited here seem far-fetched and unlikely, the technology already exists and is developing rapidly to ensure that such hypotheticals can become realities. RFID tags have the potential to revolutionize the shopping experience by bringing us targeted products and allowing retailers and manufacturers to track purchases and shopper behavior more accurately and cost-effectively. The concern, however, is that if we are not aware and careful about the potential abuses of such technologies early on, we may fail to incorporate them at a time when the laws and mores of such a system are still developing, ultimately suffering the consequences later on.

Rich McIver writes for http://www.rfidgazette.org, a free informational resource on RFID. See http://www.rfidgazette.org/privacy/ for more information on RFID privacy issues.

Radio Frequency Identification

2008-02-08T00:31:00.001-08:00

RFID is being touted as the best source of identification and tracking in today?s world. RFID or Radio Frequency Identification is an automatic identification method that uses RFID tags and readers.

RFID technology uses radio waves and it is possible to find a product or an object with an RFID tag without coming in contact with it. An RFID tag having a unique tracking number or identification data is embedded into the object. The RFID tag or the microchip is connected to an aerial. This aerial helps the chip to transmit radio waves with the stored information. The signal is picked up by an RFID tag reader and the reader transmits this information to a computer in digital format, letting us find out the information with a push of a button.

Though there are many advantages of using RFID technology. However, only a few that are common in all RFID tags are mentioned.

? Ability to read and write
? Contact not required to read the data
? The functioning is completely automated
? It is resistant to things like paint and dirt
? Can function at different frequencies
? Distance of reading can range from few inches to several feet

RFID technology is not just about collecting data but ensuring that the data is turned into actionable information that businesses can use. By using RFID technology businesses can reduce costs through increased productivity and reduction in lost items. RFID technology can give businesses a competitive advantage never before envisioned. There is great potential for using RFID technology in retail, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Check Out More Articles:Baumer Thailand

RFID: California's Identity Information Protection Act

2008-02-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

Utah introduced a bill designed to limit the use of RFID by state and county government. It was voted down. Maryland introduced a similar bill. It, too, was voted down. This is California's second RFID bill. The first was... voted down.

So, California's Bill No. 682 may not be an original idea, but it is important and relevant. And the strong bipartisan vote in favor of the bill is also important and relevant.

California Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) introduced the bill in February 2005. Yesterday the California state senate approved the bill in a 29 to 7 vote (21 Democrats and eight Republicans). If passed into law, the California bill will be the first legislation to limit the use of RFID.

An excerpt from bill 682: "This act would prohibit identification documents created, mandated, purchased or issued by various public entities from containing a contactless integrated circuit or other device that can broadcast personal information or enable personal information to be scanned remotely, except as specified."

Nothing wrong with that.

RFID is amazing technology that represents tremendous positive potential. RFID may be the best tool we have to keep our prescription drug pipeline safe, to alert us when an Alzheimer's patient wanders, or to warn us when our car tire is getting low.

It is not the best tool we have for identification.

New technology requires new vigilance. New uses of old technology also requre new vigilance. If we don't make deliberate decisions about the role of RFID in our lives, someone else will. It is that simple.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning freelance writer and sales trainer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including RFID, selling skills, motivation, and pharmaceutical sales.

You can contact her at sb14580@yahoo.com and read her latest articles on her website.

RFID: Traceless Truth

2008-02-06T00:19:00.000-08:00

Life usually seems to me to be a series of Rorschach tests. We each interpret events and patterns through the filter of our personal history, and no two people experience the same stimulus in the exact same way.

RFID means "cutting-edge technology" to one and "the end of personal freedom" to another. "Big Brother" to one and "transportation efficiency" to another. "Professional development opportunity" to an RFID software engineer and "layoff" to a no-longer-necessary inventory clerk.

But now and then the ink blot is so obvious that it transcends individual interpretation. Or in the case of Canadian technology firm Creo, it is the absence of the ink blot that is so clear.

Creo has developed Traceless technology, an RFID tagging system which is described on their website as "visually and chemically undetectable, even by forensic trace methods".

On the same website, Creo details potential applications for Traceless as "Traceless taggant can be applied to the surface of articles during manufacturing. Or, more commonly, it can be mixed in paper or ink during the production of packaging, envelopes, and labels."

What?!

Do you want visually and chemically undetectable track-and-trace technology mixed into paper or ink during production? Paper and ink... that's magazines, personal letterhead, business cards, maps, loan applications, medical information forms, social security cards, coupons, prescriptions... U.S. currency. (Ironically, even Rorschach tests.)

Before you write and tell me that I'm overreacting, integrate the fact that Creo has already signed an agreement with label manufacturer Acucote to incorporate Traceless technology into Acucote labels. This is not a boardroom Development Objective, folks. This is a stealth tracking reality.

EPCglobal's Guidelines on EPC for Consumer Products establish the need for Consumer Notice and Consumer Choice. The guidelines are published on the EPCglobal website, and include:

1. Consumer Notice

Consumers will be given clear notice of the presence of EPC on products or their packaging. This notice will be given through the use of an EPC logo or identifier on the products or packaging.

2. Consumer Choice

Consumers will be informed of the choices that are available to discard or remove or in the future disable EPC tags from the products they acquire."

By design, Creo's Traceless taggant clearly circumvents both consumer notice and consumer choice.

I appreciate our general need for increased security and anti-counterfeiting measures. I am as concerned about the purity of my prescription and the safety of this country as any other reasonable person is. I have consistently supported the strengths of RFID technology in appropriate applications, and I will continue to do so.

But I can not interpret this particular picture with anything but alarm.

Plain, "old-fashioned" RFID tags -- visible and detectable -- offer a more sophisticated level of security than we have ever had before. They are unobtrusive, customizable, incorruptible and virtually impossible to counterfeit.

Creo's Traceless powder is not only unnerving and completely unnecessary, it is decidely counterproductive.

The nature of RFID technology inevitably raises public and personal sensitivity. In order for the collective "us" to gain from RFID, we must be partners in pursuit of transparent truth.

No matter how you look at it, transparent tags and transparent truth are mutually exclusive.

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning freelance writer and sales trainer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including RFID, selling skills, motivation, and pharmaceutical sales.

Visit her RFID blog for an exploration of the ethical and social considerations of RFID.

Abandoned Anchor Retrieval RFID System

2008-02-05T01:37:00.001-08:00

There will be times when an anchored ship in the US Military needs to move fast and go after a rapidly increasing situation and task which must be accomplished immediately. If the anchors are deployed then they need a capacity to drop the rest of the chain and leave the anchor there. With a backup anchor on-board.

The anchor, which is left will be fitted with an RFID homing tracking device and it can be retrieved at a later date by specially fitted UUV underwater unmanned vehicle. The UUV will pick up the chain via a cable it attaches and bring that cable up to the ship which will then hoist the cable and anchor chain up until which time the actual anchor clears the ocean bottom.

Perhaps a study should be to determine how much time could be saved if the anchor system retrieval was not an issue? Could the ship, which was already running, move fast and be gone saving ten minutes or more? If so, ten minutes in a high stress situation could be of major value indeed.

There maybe other uses for this technology for other vessels and uses and an RFID retrieval system makes sense for anyone involved in UUV or ROVs also. In fact there are many ways this technology can be used for other things that can also become a huge concern. So we need to be thinking here and consider all this in 2006

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

It's a Small RFID World After All

2008-02-04T01:05:00.001-08:00

Trolley Scan of Johannesburg, South Africa has announced the delivery of the first commercialized version of "RFID-radar" to a European IT company.

RFID-radar enables a system user to accurately measure the distance travelled by a signal from a transponder to a reader. This provides users with the unique coordinates of a tagged entity, accurate to within 0.5 meters.

Let's say that you buy a ticket to a hockey game. That ticket is RFID-chipped to track your entry and exit through the RFID-rigged gate. Conventional RFID operates with a pass/fail system. When your ticket (and presumably you) pass through the entry gate, you are identified as being inside the rink. Somewhere. When you pass through the exit gate, you're identified as being outside the rink. Somewhere.

RFID-radar turbo-narrows the scope of "somewhere". You're no longer simply inside or outside the rink. You are now trackable to within a few feet of your skin.

If you think that's not a new capability of RFID, think again. Conventional RFID has a fairly limited read range. Until now, you would have had to install RFID readers every 10-25 feet to achieve this degree of scrutiny.

RFID-radar accomplishes this with only one reader, up to 300 feet away.

According to Mike Marsh, Managing Director of Trolley Scan, "RFID-radar will result in the development of an entire new set of applications for computer based equipment. As all measurements are performed from one set of antennas, the equipment can even be mounted on a forklift truck to locate goods in a warehouse relative to the current position of the vehicle."

Although he declined to give any details, Marsh said that Trolley Scan has been asked to install RFID-radar on a helicopter.

I can see it now: Here comes the zamboni! Quick, cover yourself in foil!

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning sales trainer and freelance writer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including selling skills, motivation, pharmaceutical sales, parenting and RFID.

You can contact her at sb14580@yahoo.com and visit her RFID blog for an exploration of the ethical and social considerations of RFID.

Why RFID Credit Cards Will Make Your Life Easier

2008-02-02T00:27:00.001-08:00

What if you could simply hold your wallet up and wave it at the cashier to pay for your groceries? Sound like science fiction? Well, it’s not. Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, credit cards are already on the streets. In most cases, you have to actually take the card out of your wallet, but the technology exists where all you would need to do is run your wallet with the card inside a few centimeters in front of a sensor to pay for your purchase.

RFID technology is still fairly new, but it has been successful in most test markets. You may familiar with Exxon’s speed pass or American Express card’s Express Pay. These cards use the same technology as the toll tags that many drivers have on their front windshields. The electronic pass carries all the information that your regular credit card carries on its magnetic strip. But because you don’t have to swipe it through anything, you get in and out much faster.

This means one less hassle at the gas station, grocery store, or department store. And it if you are a business owner, it means you can process more customers in a shorter amount of time. When customers only have to tap a card on a reader or wave the card in front of a sensor, this dramatically reduces check out time usually spent entering PIN codes or signing electronic pads.

While there have been some concerns about security, the companies issuing the cards assure consumers that they have taken all necessary precautions. In fact, the new contactless cards could actually improve security as there are fewer people who see your card number and no risk of anyone seeing your PIN as you type it in at the check out counter. A merchant will only be able to see the last four digits of your card rather than the entire number, as well as the three-digit code on the back.

Overall, the time you spend in the check out and drive thru lines will be reduced from thirty to forty percent. This is great news for time challenged folks with places to be.

Rebecca Spitzer recommends Find Credit Cards for comparing RFID credit cards.

RFID Tags Imbedded in Congressmen

2008-01-31T22:09:00.000-08:00

We seem to have a real problem with our United States Senators, Congressmen and Politicians these days. We have scoundrels in the midst who are taking bribes from Lobbyists and prescription drugs too in trade for votes.

One insider at a party in Washington DC said the Kennedy Kid in Rhode Island has been addicted to prescription drugs for many moons and he is getting them from a lobbyist in the Pharmaceutical Industry? Is this true? Well, hard to say, as it is only a rumor and rather than get the Kennedy Kid in any more hot water my question is who else are the Big Pharma Lobbyists given drugs too?

You see America we have a problem when the drug suppliers are lobbyists or Doctors to Congressmen and we need to know what other favors these little scum are getting in return? Remember the Defense Contractor Lobbyists trading gifts and cash to the Congressman in San Diego?

Well if lobbyists are giving away free drugs instead of money, well you might say it is the same basic idea only they are saving a boatload of money as a Congressman’s ethics go for quite a lower price tag. So, speaking of tags, lets just put a satellite enabled RFID Tag under the skin of every congressman to see where they go and who they meet with and we may as well chip all the child molesters too? Consider this in 2006.

RFID Golf Balls and Top Golf

2008-01-29T22:12:00.002-08:00

For the Golfer who has it all now they can have RFID Radio Frequency Identification GPS Global Positioning System Golf Balls? Wow, if that sounds really high-tech, well it is because now you can hit your golf ball and know the exact distance it has traveled and in the future as there are more RFID enabled golf courses you can watch it all in real-time on your PDA wireless device which will keep score, suggest which club to use, interface with surface wind reading and do just about everything but make the shot for you?

http://gizmosforgeeks.com/index.php/news/2274

It is infinitely fascinating how much high-tech materials and innovations go into the game of golf these days. Much of the super high-tech break thrus find their way into sports equipment of all types. Such as Lance Armstrong’s bicycle, the Bob Sled Olympic Teams or even World Cup Sailing. And well that is a good thing as it means that there will indeed be a continuation of such entrepreneurial creations coming to assist in the forward progression of mankind.

In the past it has always been the military which gets the technology first yet in the new computer age we saw that Silicon Valley has constantly leap-frogged its best technologies and surpassed even that of the military in many instances. Today we see the same thing happening in sports and what better way to bring new innovations to market faster. Consider all this in 2006.

RFID – A Gift From The Past

2008-01-29T22:12:00.001-08:00

There are primarily two types of RFID tags – Active Tag and Passive Tag.

Active RFID Tag

An active RFID tag has its own power supply and as a result can be used to receive information from a greater distance. Active RFID tags can also store information Batteries of some active RFID tags can last for as long as 10 years.

Passive RFID Tag

In contrast, passive RFID tag does not have its own power supply. This type of RFID tag receives its power supply from an electrical current in the antenna that is produced as a result of the incoming radio frequency scan. A passive RFID tag can be used for sending and receiving information and data over a short distance only.

There is immense use for RFID technology in today’s world and soon more and more companies and industries will start using this technology once the importance is realized.

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The Five Countries Big in RFID Adoption (Case Studies)

2008-01-28T02:13:00.000-08:00

Many countries are adopting RFID technology. The adoption is increasing at a very fast rate. Many sectors in the business world are taking to RFID. The adoption is across sectors, industry and market. There are so many success stories and failure stories as well. Some countries are at the initial stage of planning and testing. Some others are at the advanced stage. RFID technology is available at different stages as the need of the using country. Some countries are leading in this endeavor and some are lagging behind. Some countries are spending huge amounts in RFID technology, its testing and evaluation.

You will find that some advanced countries are eagerly adopting RFID. Unites States of America United States of America is one of the leading countries in adoption of RFID. You will find largest number of RFID adoption cases. Also the value is highest in RFID adoption investment and buying. Many companies across sectors, industries and markets in USA have adopted RFID in their business. The order for RFID tools, softwares, and equipments is higher here.

US retail giants are using RFID to improve the efficiency of the supply chain thereby improving the customer satisfaction. US has started even e passport system where RFID tags are used in the e passport. In 2005, US processed 10 million passports. United Kingdom Many UK companies have followed the path leaded by the US counterparts. You can repay in the public transport in the UK. This system uses RFID technology. These are called as “Beep cards” in the Nottingham city, which allows a passenger to travel by using these cards. In London, you will find "Oyster cards” which allow traveling as you like and are valid for certain time. Australia Australia as an advanced country in technology has also set foot on the RFID path. Many a sector is seeing the new adoption.

Retail and pharma sectors are the main participants. RFID has creped into other sectors also. In the libraries, books are tagged with RFID tags; humans are tagged in the hospitals with these tags, cattle and racehorses are tagged. The food industry was also doing tests like tests done for tagging fish, tomatoes and other foods. Like libraries, RFID is used in Financial sector, Safety sector etc. In tracking vehicles, criminals, in law enforcement also RFID is being used in Australia. Australia has also got RFID in passport and cards used for payments. On vehicles and animals they use RFID to track it down at real time and get information. There is legislation in tagging in Australia. This legislation is for protecting the vulnerable industries. Netherlands Netherlands is also ahead in using the RFID technology at different sectors of it. It is very active in using RFID technology. Netherlands is using RFID in different cards. It also uses this technology in football matches and such other leisure and recreational activities. Like Australia, Netherlands using RFID in financial, security, safety sectors.

You will find item level tagging is generally seen in Netherlands. You will find it in logistics and postal sectors also. Like Australia, it also uses High Frequency (HF) far more than any other frequency in RFID. Malaysia Malaysia is also leading among the RFID using countries. Malaysia issued the first RFID passports or the e passports in 1998. It helped to get information about the person, travel history of the holder and his positions. Malaysia also uses RFID in Malaysia Expressways payment system, which is also known as Touch 'n Go system. Transport payment system is available for the benefit of the passengers. ProblemsCountries are facing many problems in adopting RFID. It may be technological, financial, regulatory or human resource. RFID adoption needs huge investments and so is popular with the advanced countries. Adopting RFID needs change in the existing system of the country, which is a time taking and complex process.

Sometimes it does not fit well with the existing system. Some problem may arise, as the developers of this technology do not understand the need of the particular area or country. It is evident in the case when the technology is imported from outside. Prospects RFID technology can create a positive effect on the country, on its economy as well as on the sector where it is being used. It increases the efficiency and the effectiveness of the system and sector, thereby improving the profitability.

Bikash is an MBA who works as an freelance writer. He worked for on of the best private banks in India. He has been writing for the last 5 years. He has worked with many US,UK and Indian clients. Visit him at http://bikiassam.tripod.com

Five Companies Big In RFID Adoption (Case Studies)

2008-01-25T02:36:00.001-08:00

RFID Radio-frequency identification or RFID is new data-collection technology. This technology uses electronic tags to store identification data. A wireless transmitter sends the data to a management system for analysis. Companies are using it to different functions. The main uses of this technology for the companies are in the field of supply chain management. It is used by companies across sectors. Retailers and their suppliers are using this technology mostly. RFID is becoming a unique tool in the business process. It is a very powerful and important system. Most of the companies today adopting RFID to their business. They are not using this technology to their business only, but adopting at their suppliers level also. These companies are helping their suppliers to use RFID in their operation and improve the efficiency.

Companies are issuing mandates, which ask the suppliers to put RFID tags to products that are shipped to them. Even the FDA is looking at the RFID as a way of solving the problem with counterfeit drugs. Wal-Mart Wal-Mart is one of the companies, who are leading the way. Wal-Mart started with adopting RFID to their distribution hubs. It planned to use RFID to its different distribution hubs to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these hubs. But as they were unable to complete the projected target and as some of the suppliers had problem with the ROI also, they shifted their efforts towards stores. Albertsons Albertsons is a food and drug retailer. It launched an initiative to use electronic tags for tracking goods through its supply chain. It also asked its suppliers to proceed towards adopting RFID in their process. Albertson is using RFID in its warehouses.

It is using RFID tags to track cases and pallets. The main focus is on improving the customer satisfaction by increasing supply chain efficiency. Albertsons this initiative is trying to use RFID technology to track pallets and cases of goods in the movement through warehouses and stores. Best Buy Best buy started with pre-pilot testing of OAT System Inc.'s RFID framework, for its business. RFID tags are being produced by using this framework. For supply chain, it planned to use another software. One of the main suppliers of Best Buy, iRiver started the pre pilot testing for Best Buy. Best Buy has a mandate for its suppliers to use RFID in their business process. According to the mandate, the supplied item to Best Buy should come with the RFID tags attached to them.

Best Buy plans are to move to item-level tagging and to take the RFID adoption to another level beyond simple tagging of pallets and cases. Here it tries to differ from Wal-Mart, Target, Tesco and other retail chains. Tagging individual items is the main objective of Best Buy, which will increase the efficiency. The company is following EPCglobal guidelines for tagging pallets and cases. It has asked for requirements for suppliers which are similar to those issued by Wal-Mart and Target. Target Target is the fourth largest retailer in the United States. Target plan is to use RFID tags on pallets and cases. These pallets and cases are sent to particular regional Distribution Centers (DCs). Target is using EPC standards. Target has put forwarded a mandate for its suppliers, which asks them to apply RFID tags on pallets and cases, which are sent to regional distribution facilities. Target has levied its Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) mandate, thereby forcing the industry to adopt RFID.

Like Wal-Mart, Target used RFID tags in the products they carry. The company planned testing RFID technologies at the pallet and case level with selected vendor partners at first. Target worked with EPCglobal to develop common technology standards. These standards are supposed to benefit both retailers and their suppliers.

Metro Like other behemoths of different industries and of the same industry where it is operating, Metro has also set out to use RFID in its operations. Metro is one of the top five trading and retailing groups in the world. To meet the competition in the retail industry, Metro has also started to use RFID technology to increase its efficiency and profitability. Metro Group used Intel Solution Services in adopting RFID technology. It helped the company to develop and integrate RFID technology across different supply chain processes. METRO Group launched a European RFIDInnovation Center. Intel Solution Services performed testing and provided consultancy to the Metro group. Challenges These companies often face challenges and barriers in adopting RFID technology like problem in integrating RFID with existing systems where they made significant investments, problem with the cost of implementing, which is very high, problem with ever changing RFID Sector, where technologies keep on changing fast, problem in synchronization of data, which is developing slowly, problem with operation in the implementation time etc. While adopting RFID to the overall business, companies have to overcome these barriers.

Bikash is an MBA who works as an freelance writer. He worked for on eof the best private banks in India. He has been writing for the last 5 years. He has worked with many US,UK and Indian clients. Visit him at http://bikiassam.tripod.com

RFID Invading Our Lives?

2008-01-23T02:35:00.001-08:00

How RFID technology will enter our Lives

With RFID technology a store owner knows everything about the item you take to the checkout including price, colour size etc. The USA now wants to put this technology into passports which would allow people to be mass processed through custom control, without having to form queues. You know what it’s like when you arrive home late and there is a queue of 200 people in front of you at the Passport desk. So a convenience would be faster people handling.

Credit card companies would be able to read your card simply by you waving it near a reading device. So we face a revolution in the use of RFID technology

But security on terrorist activity may be compromised because he could alter his passport to get though without an official actually seeing the falsified document.

And then there is the issue of personal privacy.
You buy an item using RFID and for the rest of the day a scanner could pick up the fact you just bought it and how would this compromise you if you are holding a RFID credit card.

Also consider the supply chain structure.
Now thieves could know what's being held in premises and what’s its value is.

There are some solutions fro specific cases
So for example when you buy something, there should be a tear off section your ticket to remove the device. So you will not be readable after you’ve bought your items.

Credit cards are a different consideration.
What would be the diving line between being close enough for the scanner to pick you up but not close enough for a thief to scan the card in your handbag?

An unacceptable situation would be where thieves could wander around shopping centres and simply get close enough to your wallet to scan you car card. Clearly there is some extra thinking to be done here and it may be some time before this is solved, where convenience is improved but your privacy is secure.

Maybe aluminum wallets are the answer? Time will tell.

RFID and security tags

RFID Systems To Track Products And Recycling In A Perfect Modern Civilization

2008-01-19T01:45:00.002-08:00

Does the World really need RFID? What is so special about Radio Frequency Identification tags? What is wrong with bar codes? Well, the answer is quite simple actually and even though many people are worried about the future of RFID and privacy, I am more concerned about the efficiencies we can gain from this technology in free-markets.

Currently there is 1 Trillion Dollars unnecessarily locked in inventory in the US? That is almost 10% of our GDP. Ouch, 10% lost efficiency is not good. So RFID can help, we should use it, definitely. RFID technology is getting very good and at under $.05 US per tag, it is a viable idea.

Are you worried about recycling and over filling the dumps in the US with intense amounts of trash and waste? I believe we need a robust recycling program and it should be part of the "ethical code of conduct" for every citizen and part of each person's social responsibility and social contract with the Nation.

Meaning we recycle the RFID tags and allow them to be used at the unit level, when and if the price to make them reaches $ .03 and then robotic trash systems can separate out the recyclables. Sure, there will be some loss of RFID tags, our Online Think Tank Figures 23%.

Even considering the replacement and costs loss rates of 23% we can eliminate waste in inventories, which will lower prices and increase efficiency, while quadrupling our recycling efforts thru automation. Now then our trash collection flows and robotic systems can also scan the items for recycling and separate and guess what remove the tag for re-use!

A cradle-to-grave policy and hooked into the central computer system to eliminate waste, because every time your increase efficiency, you win. The Flows of Civilization depend on it. It is time to stop fighting the new RFID technologies and embrace all they have to offer.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur http://www.worldthinktank.net . Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

How RFID Technology Will Invade Your Life

2008-01-19T01:45:00.001-08:00

With RFID technology a store owner knows everything about the item you take to the checkout including price, color size etc.

The USA now wants to put this technology into passports which would allow people to be mass processed through custom control, without having to form queues. You know what it is like when you arrive home late and there is a queue of 200 people in front of you at the Passport desk.So a convenience would be faster people handling.

Credit card companies would be able to read your card simply by you waving it near a reading device. So we face a revolution in the use of RFID technology.But security on terrorist activity may be compromised because he could alter his passport to get though without an official actually seeing the falsified document.

And then there is the issue of personal privacy. You buy an item using RFID and for the rest of the day a scanner could pick up the fact you just bought it and how would this compromise you if you are holding a RFID credit card.

Also consider the supply chain structure. Now thieves could know what's being held in premises and what its value is.

There are some solutions for specific cases. So for example when you buy something, there should be a tear off section your ticket to remove the device. So you will not be readable after you have bought your items.

Credit cards are a different consideration.

What would be the diving line between being close enough for the scanner to pick you up but not close enough for a thief to scan the card in your handbag?

An unacceptable situation would be where thieves could wander around shopping centers and simply get close enough to your wallet to scan your card. Clearly there is some extra thinking to be done here and it may be some time before this is solved, where convenience is improved but your privacy is secure. Maybe aluminum wallets are the answer? Time will tell.

Counting devices
Client counting solution to the retail sector offers a system is aimed at providing pertinent management information on client visit habits and related transactions.The system comprises client movement logging hardware - deployed in-store and a software suite which would typically run within head office and provide web browser access to count statistics.

Benefits
o Sales to look into conversion rate analysis to ascertain sales effectiveness and help improve Average Transaction Value and Units
o Marketing to assess the effectiveness of advertising and marketing campaigns
o Operations to provide insight into the effectiveness of staffing levels
o Security and exceptions will note movements after-hours and differences between people entering and exiting the store
o Environment to look at through-store footfall to ensure appropriate floor layout andcustomer awareness of in-store departments
o Low impact and quick installation

Management information
A simple to use browser-based software suite provides immediate access to management information right across your enterprise.Integration with management data allows automated linking with transactional and staffing data so you can see how wisely or not you are spending you money.

Sales transaction data should be automatically imported on a daily basis and the system database should be queried by third party products for further integration/analysis as necessary. Client counting can improve your operational cost-effectiveness, improve your advertising impact on sales and enhance the customer experience by ensuring staffing levels are appropriate to customer flow.

Arthur Stoller advises customers on the use of retail technology. Find out how you can implement protection for your shop by visiting http://www.rto.com

Digital Signage - RFID Data Can Open New Horizons For Retailers

2008-01-18T02:21:00.002-08:00

A new report from research organization Datamonitor suggests brick-and-mortar retailers can make up some ground on their Internet rivals through the smart use of technologies like digital signage.

The report, "Shop X: where's the store heading?," notes digital signage systems have the ability to identify the presence of viewers, thereby turning up or down the volume control automatically; detect when a shopper points at an item, thus triggering relevant ads on nearby displays; and even figure out what sex and size a nearby shopper happens to be.

Sex and size? At first glance, that seems like a lot of fluff and hype, but it isn't. As retailers begin using RFID tags in their merchandise and start designing their digital signage systems with RFID sensors, making an educated guess about the sex and size of shoppers becomes possible.

If you aren't familiar with RFID, here are the basics: RFID (or radio frequency identification) devices use radio waves to transmit digital information, such as the information that's currently encoded in barcodes, to a special receiver. Like a TV or radio station, RFID tags can transmit at different power levels, which affects how far the tag can be separated from the receiver. Unlike a radio or TV station, these things are tiny -so small that they can be inserted under the skin of animals and people to serve as personal electronic IDs or embedded directly into merchandise.

(While I'm not going to use this space to discuss the privacy concerns raised by these devices nor reports last month of lab findings showing they possibly cause tumors in lab animals, I must acknowledge the existence of these serious issues.)

For retailers, RFID tags have been seen as a Holy Grail of sorts in the drive to reduce waste and improve margin. For instance, its backers see RFID technology as a way retailers can improve inventory control, track products from a manufacturer till they leave a store and enhance in-store security efforts. Working with a digital signage system, they can even assist in-store marketing efforts.

For instance, imagine it's the holiday season and a shopper enters a women's clothier after buying merchandise with an RFID tag embedded at the store next door -perhaps a pair of Manolo Blahnik high heels (for all of you Carrie Bradshaw fans out there.) If that retailer had an RFID reader, some interesting information could be derived from those RFID-tagged, trendy shoes, including size and model. With those two pieces of information alone -and a reasonable guess that the shopper is a woman- a database of commercials can be scoured to retrieve just the right one to playback for the designer shoe buyers- perhaps the right fragrance or designer dress.

If you let your imagination roam, you can begin to see why Datamonitor has identified technology as a way for brick-and-mortar retailers to begin competing more effectively with their online rivals. It's just possible that what cookies are to Web sites and marketers, RFID tags and digital signage systems could be to real-world retailers, namely a way to gather information about shoppers and market to them on a personal level, based on knowing something about who they are.

Whether it's RFID technology, proximity detectors, temperature gauges, motion sensors or any of a number of other input technologies and data sources, the bottom line is digital signage systems don't have to blindly prattle on with messages that are out of context. They can be enabled to gather information from their environment and display the appropriate content to better serve the shopper and the retailer.David Little is a digital signage enthusiast with 20 years of experience helping professionals use technology to more effectively communicate their unique marketing messages. He is the director of marketing for Keywest Technology in Lenexa, KS, a software development company specializing in systems for digital signage creation, scheduling, management and playback. For further digital signage insight from Keywest Technology, download our Six Basic Digital Signage Applications white paper; subscribe to our digital signage RSS feed that gives a diverse perspective on digital signage from experts around the world; and sign up for our Keywest Update news brief.

Vibrational Energy and Solar Powered Net-Centric RFID Cargo Container Communication Devices

2008-01-18T02:21:00.001-08:00

Is it possible to secure the millions of cargo containers that enter our nation from around the world? The numbers are so staggering and the potential ways to hide insidious WMD are huge. But with new technology, we may be able to bridge the gap and protect the American People from a horrific International Terrorist Attack. How so you ask?

Using RFID active tags that can communicate with the satellite and other nearby boxes this may in fact be potentially viable. Of course, the power source will have to be able to handle weeks at sea, without recharging the batteries. One way to do this is to use the normal vibrational energy on the trucks, ships and cranes to power up a small battery using electro-magnetic induction principles and or a combination w/solar as well.

What will it cost to do this? It could cost as much as $50.00 per container, which is a small price to pay and indeed, those costs will also be worth their weight in gold due to the economies of scale and efficiencies they will provide to the over all logistics, reduction in payrolls and information flows to shippers. Knowing exactly where a container is, anywhere in the world at all times, is the equivalent of UPS or FedEx tracking of your overnight package, yet even better.

Knowing within 3 meters where your container is, and if any weapons of mass destruction, contraband or illegal material is inside is power. The power of information and guess what, we have all that technology and more and we have it today.

L. Winslow is an Economic, Political and Technology Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur http://www.worldthinktank.net Currently Mr. Winslow is planning a bicycle ride from Canada to Mexico and in Spring across the US from San Diego to Virginia Beach to raise money for charity. Previously he was a track star athlete, private pilot, involved in politics, community volunteerism and a Franchising Founder. Mr. Winslow has chosen 100 titles of Books he wishes to write and has completed ten thus far. The subjects include; Community Planning, Future Tech, Franchising, Small Business, and Third World Issues.

UUV RFID Tagging of Sunken Ships

2008-01-17T02:53:00.001-08:00

As we label and track all the space debris orbiting our planet, we too need to tag and track all the human debris scattered on the ocean floors. Why you ask? Well to prevent our underwater salvagers from wasting their time and to help us patrol what is down there and why. If something is out of place off our coast lines and it is picked up by one of our unmanned underwater robotic surveillance vehicles, the unit needs to know if it needs to further investigate or simply move on as the object it has discovered is already in its catalog of known objects out there.

How can we prevent the redundancy and time expenditure to keep our UUV robotic coastline surveillance units efficient? Well, why not tag each piece of debris with an RFID Tag which can be sensed by the UUV, each tag will also work as if a GPS waypoint, but only in reverse telling the UUV where it is, the ocean floor depth and keeping it on track.

Why not use the debris humans have left in the ocean to help us navigate, protect our shores and make it all easier to find in the process. It is a no lose situation and one, which makes sense for so many reasons. If we do not do this we will have to lay down navigation points anyway, thus put more debris down in the ocean, so we may as well kill two birds with one stone? Consider all this in 2006.

RFID Tag Implants and the Mark of the Beast?

2008-01-14T00:27:00.003-08:00

Radio Frequency Identification Tags are now being developed and available for use inside human beings. They will be implanted so they can assist in various things such as tracking, identification and even so they can unlock security gates and such. Currently there are a few being used to help track people in very important jobs and children so they do not get lost or abducted. One company a very popular bar and nightclub is implanting them in their best customers so they do not have to wait in line to get in the door.

As neat as this technology is there are some who call this the mark of the beast and the start of the end of the world. Revelations. One such gentleman came to an online Think Tank and posted some information and claims it is a conspiracy against humanity. On his Blog labeled:

Home Outlandish Security, RFID Implants and 7 year tribulation

http://homeoutlandishsecurity.blogspot.com/2005/12/q.html

He claims that our freedoms will soon be gone and we will be little more than human cattle controlled by various groups such as the Illuminati and other secret organizations? What do you think of all this? Do you believe that RFID Implants will lead us to the seven-year tribulation? Do you even believe in such things? What is your take on all this, are you a conspiracy theorist too? If so have you sought help for this condition? Think on this in 2006.