History of RFID

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

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

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

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

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

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2007 Trends in RFID Tags (Radio Frequency Identification Tags)

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 Sensors to Protect Water Supplies

Recently the US Military has developed a special set of sensors for water supplies for troops. Any time a base camp is set up it is important to monitor the water supplies and test them. You cannot simply test them when you arrive you need constant monitoring so that insurgents or enemies do not pollute the water or put poison in it. The three most common pathogens of water supplies are; Vibrio Cholerae, e. Coli and Giardia intestinalis and believe me you don’t want any in your drinking water.

Two companies; Phase IV Engineering and Sporian Microsystems both in Boulder Colorado have developed a bio-sensor system which is RFID based. The device, which floats is connected to a Radio Frequency antenna and it is attached to a sensor housing which is submerged which is also connected to an anchor line. These water sensors can detect pollutants up to 1 part per million.

I propose these be used in the United States to protect our rivers and lakes, which contain drinking water. It is also important to have them in our wetlands and areas such as the Bayous in Louisiana and the everglades in Florida. Now then let us look at the efforts of the WHO, UN and World Bank; can we put these in third world nations to prevent waterborne diseases which kill millions of humans annually? If we can get the costs down significantly thru mass buying and economies of scale we are well on our way to eliminating the horrible issues that expanding populations in the third world face from polluted water and waterborne pathogens. As we see more severe and severe droughts in the world we will need to address these issues. We know have technology ready to be transferred thanks to our military expenditures thru DARPA.

We must continue to fund such research and boost such budgets of DARPA so that all of mankind can benefit in the offshoot transfer technologies. Think on this, something must be done.

"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