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April 29, 2008
Updated information regarding Flexing Power with Flexible Plastics
-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer
The onward march of technology has seen gadgets getting smaller, more powerful, and of course, wireless. Portability, mobility, and ease-of-use are the keywords that seem to be driving innovation these days. And yet despite all the wireless technology we have never been able to cut the final technological cord so to speak, power. So it comes as no surprise that researchers have come up with wireless methods to charge devices like notebook computers, mobile phones, and even RFID tags – one of them being flexible plastics technology.
Japan, as usual, has a head start on the technology, and scientists at the University of Tokyo have built a prototype of a wireless charging device that powers gadgets that come into contact with it. Using a technology they call flexible electronics.
But Germany and the United Kingdom are not far behind - the Cambridge-based Plastic Logic is setting up a factory in Silicon Saxony in Dresden, Germany, to manufacture flexible display technology components. Other analysts are examining top online universities for information relating to new technologies as well. But with the rapid increase in value of flexible plastics there is increasing concern that organizations who do not employ individuals with criminal justice degrees, will largely be unable to protect their investments. Production of flexible active-matrix display modules for electronic reader products is due to start in 2008. Silicon Networks reports:
Simon Jones, vice president of product development for Plastic Logic, sees two main applications for flexible plastics technologies - RFID tags and flexible displays. He claimed that displays are one of the key initiatives for the technology, as current displays are power-hungry and so eat into the battery life of mobile devices, and use heavy materials, limiting portability.
April 25, 2007
RFID Baggage Tagging For US Airline Industry
Finances pure and simple are apparently the reason the US airline industry has not implemented RFID baggage tagging. That and the fact that such tags end up being disposable and are currently expensive enough to cut into already small profits. But weighed against the fact that US airlines lose track of about 10,000 bags each day and typically compensate passengers, baggage tagging costs begin to look more attractive. The prediction is that as more airlines start to implement radio frequency technology for baggage tagging, the cost of tags and readers will drop, which in turn will likely encourage more US airlines to follow suit.
One possibility for raising funds to pay for the RFD technology is a head tax, but in the US, it's mostly the airlines and not the airports that usually handle baggage. So such a tax is less likely. That leaves higher ticket prices, which may not fly, so to speak, with passengers because of the competitive market. But it is expected that baggage tagging use will increase, with related revenues to the RFID industry to double by 2011. Other issues to be worked out, other than tag costs: the infrastructure and the tags themselves. One reader of this site commented that "a more feasible solution would be... multi-use tags..." and to "charge $10 and offer greater insurance against lost baggage."
[sources: PR Minds]
February 12, 2007
Fishing For Information
-- Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer
The nature conservationists are at it again. And they’re harnessing the power of RFID to help them preserve and study the vagaries of the zoological kingdom. First it was wasps, now it’s fish – the Columbia River Basin Project is tagging migrating salmon and steelhead in the river to understand their lifecycle and study how the environment, fishing, hatcheries and power plants affect their survival. The river is the site of several hydropower systems and dams.
Scientists from the Department of Energy use fishing nets to catch the fish, inject them with the chip, and then release them back into the stream across Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The RFID tag is then scanned using wireless handheld readers and the data sent to the PTAGIS (Passive integrated transponder Tag Information System) based in Portland, Oregon. The agency is responsible for managing and maintaining the data on the fish populations.
Digital Angel, according to a $10 million contract, has provided the passive transponders, hand-held readers, custom-made antennas and the graphical user interface for the project. Zeke Mejia, the company's CTO, claims a 99.5 percent data capture rate.
Will RFID Conquer Outer Space?
-- Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer
Are RFID tags robust enough to survive the extreme conditions in outer space? That’s what NASA is attempting to find out when Endeavour takes off to the International Space Station in July later this year. The space shuttle will carry a variety of paper and plastic Gen 2 passive tags from Intermec; they will be attached in a case to the outside of the station for a year during which they will be subject to harsh heat and cold, ultraviolet radiation, and vacuum conditions as it orbits Earth.
If the tags pass the litmus test, they will then be tested on a pre-Moon launch rocket test that is scheduled in another 27 months. According to Fred Schramm, administrator for the internal research and development program at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., the agency is hoping to use RFID:
[via Network World]
to monitor and manage inventory on spacecrafts, and to track internal and external environmental conditions both on the mission to the moon and future manned flights to Mars.
Readers placed in strategic positions would allow data to be transmitted either to a local network on the spacecraft or directly back to Earth. NASA is counting on RFID to efficiently manage the complex vehicles and systems used in space exploration, said Schramm.
Buoying Up the Environment
-- Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer
Time and again, nature has had to pay the price for the progress of mankind. The environment has been gradually degraded under the guise of technological advancement. Now it’s time for technology to repay its debt to the earth and contribute its mite to the conservation of natural resources.
RFID is stepping in to do its part – the technology is being used to prevent the destruction of natural coral reefs when anchors are dropped by the numerous yachts cruising the seas. The MarPark system allows boaters to moor their crafts using a rope, a rubber ring, and a smartbuoy. They sign up for the service online and receive the SeaPass ring through the mail.
On arrival at their port of favor, all they have to do is hook the ring to within 4 inches of the reader in the buoy, which in turn is activated only when the sensor picks up the inclination of the moored boat. The buoys are environment-friendly;
[via Wired]
They tether to octagonal modules of reinforced concrete that allow the sea floor to "breathe," minimizing environmental impact.
The ring also provides value added services for the cruisers – on docking, it relays information to an onshore service center that allows them access to water taxis and supplies.
Developed by Italgest Mare with technical know-how from Siemens Italia, the system is supported by the environmental group Legambiente and is currently on trial at a few protected locations in Liguria and Sardinia in Italy. If all goes according to plan, MarPark will park itself at around 20 areas by the year 2009, including Costa Smeralda, Otranto (Puglia) and the Greek island of Corfu.
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