RFID Tags

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

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

Chinese Government Pushing RFID Market To Bring Down Logistic Cost

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

It's a Small RFID World After All

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.

The Skinny on RFID

RFID is the abbreviation for Radio Frequency Identification. RFID is a method used to store and retrieve data using RFID transponders or tags. RFID tags have antennas that allow them to accept and respond to queries from the RFID transceiver. There are passive and active RFID tags. The difference between the two is that passive tags do not need an internal power source, but active tags do. RFID technology is already used in many technologies today. The future of RFID technology seems limitless as new ways to utilize its effectiveness are discovered frequently.

Passive and Active Tags

As stated before, passive RFID tags do not have an internal power supply. There is a minute electrical current induced in the antenna by the radio signal it receives. This small current is enough to power the tag to respond to the signal. Passive RFID tags have a very brief response because of their limited power. They are very small, and may be used in the future for medical purposes or, as some fear, tracking devices. Passive RFID tags can be embedded within the skin because of their small size. The smallest RFID tag in existence in 2005 was 0.4 mm by 0.4 mm. Passive tags have a read distance that ranges from 10mm to almost 6 meters. Passive tags are cheaper than active RFID tags and as a result are more commercially available. Active RFID tags have a longer range and larger memory capacity than passive RFID tags and may therefore be able to store a significantly higher amount of information. Active RFID tags may have a battery life of up to 10 years.

How it Works

In order to understand the uses, and potential uses, of RFID technology, one must understand the RFID system. RFID systems consist of tag readers, tags, edge servers, middleware, and application software. Having an RFID system will allow data to be transmitted by a tag, which is then read by the RFID reader and processed in accordance with the application’s specifications. Data transmitted can have information about the location of the tag, or specifics concerning the product tagged. Typical RFID systems have a small and inexpensive tag on a product. There is then an “interrogator” which has a certain range in which to detect the RFID tag, activate it, and receive the response.

Current and Potential Uses

RFID technology is used in every day life. RFID tags are found in CD stores and in library books. When an alarm goes off because an item was not purchased or checked out, that is the RFID tag responding. Wal-Mart has even used RFID tags on shipments to improve supply chain management. Other RFID tags are used to track trucks in shipping yards. More recently, RFID tags have been used in automated tool booth systems like the E-ZPass system on the east coast. Mobile gas also implemented RFID technology to allow customers to simply pull up to the pump, pump gas, and then leave without having to scan a credit card or pay a cashier.

RFID technology has great potential and is constantly being improved. RFID workers are constantly trying to improve the current usage in systems like E-ZPass. It was recently announced that the eastern states will be improving E-ZPass so that cars can move faster through the tool-booth (35mph rather than 5mph). RFID technology may also be used to monitor inmates, and potentially parolees. Some consumers worry as to citizen privacy invasions by the government. RFID technology is always growing, and the government may be able to use RFID to inspect citizens, or keep track of them. Currently, however, RFID technology seems to be limited to the innovation sphere. RFID technology has been utilized to make the lives of consumers easier and more efficient. Despite the qualms of some citizens, RFID has a very bright future.

John Hanson writes about RFID technology for RFID Lowdown ( http://www.rfidlowdown.com ).

RFID: Blink!

 

JP Morgan Chase & Co. will begin issuing contactless "blink" cards to millions of MasterCard and Visa credit cardholders next month.

A "blink" card looks like a regular credit card, but is embedded with an RFID chip that allows the bearer to wave the card at an RFID-enabled terminal rather than swipe it or hand it to a cashier.

If you already wave cards at toll collection booths and gas station pumps, the "blink" card may be an easy transition for you. I envy you that. I have yet to find anything about RFID that is an easy transition for me.

I'm actually less concerned about the security of "blink" cards than I am about many other RFID applications. The selected interface protocol supports a read range of only a few inches, so any would-be identity pirate would have to be stationed between my hand and the reader in order to steal my information. I'm confident that even if I'm temporarily overwhelmed by the joy of saving ten seconds during checkout, I would notice them there.

Chase's initial plan is to link "blink" cards only to credit card accounts, not debit or bank cards. I don't know if this decision is motivated by consumer interest or Chase's self-interest. Either way, it provides a layer of personal security. If a crafty digital thief does manage to slip in when I'm blinking, they will be plundering my Chase credit card account, not my personal bank account.

The June fleet of "blink" cards is slated for Chase account members in two undisclosed cities. Chase is keeping the undisclosed target cities undisclosed for undisclosed reasons.

I can't help but note that Merriam-Webster defines "blink" as:

1 to look with half-shut eyes
2 to shine dimly or intermittently
3 to look with too little concern

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.