RFID Lowdown

RFID Security Issues Don't Affect Supply Chain Users

Otto Kilb of Printronix feels that all the reports about the security concerns of RFID tags are simply for "potential" problems, not actual ones. He points out that even barcoding, which has been around for several decades now, has flaws, and that "no technology is 100% secure." (I remember the stink that barcoding caused upon its appearance, and all the doomsaying about all of us being branded with a barcode across the forehead.) But Kilb's focus is on SCM (Supply Chain Management), and he says that it is not in danger from RFID security issues. What's more, Gen 2 tags have security features that are being improved all the time. Provided that standard precautions are taken, he says, data should be safe.

Sources: MC Solutions, P and CT.

RFID Unusual Uses: Parkour

You might have seen it in TV commercials: a group of twenty-somethings jumping and vaulting and dropping and generally doing acrobatics in urban areas. (See YouTube video above and below.) They're usually so good they make the activity look easy. But their moves are jaw-droppingly amazing, and reminiscent of the acrobatics of martial arts actor Jackie Chan. I never get tired of watching these incredible athletes in their free-spirited endeavours.

This practice, called Parkour, is discussed in a new RFID-enabled form at The RFID Weblog and Nearfield.org. The RFID is used to set up a sort of obstacle course in three dimensions, and consists of three components: a base station, roaming discs with an RFID reader/ writer, and wearable cip. Read more at The RFID Weblog and Nearfield.org. (Nearfield, I assume is named for NFC, or Near Field Communication, which is a form of RFID technology that works at close ranges and is typically used in contactless smart cards and cell phones.)

By the way, out of concern for your safety, I should point out that Parkour not only takes extreme stamina, strength, and confidence but also a great deal of training. Don't try this, please, without the training, as you can just imagine how much it'll hurt if you miss.

Enterprise: Preparing For RFID Use

Line 56 has an article discussing how companies will have to be prepared "for the next step in the RFID evolution" even if they are not currently using RFID in their business practices. The Australian has a look at how efficient logistics and a good supply chain can make a difference to whether a supplier/ manufacturing business can turn a profit or will go under.

Part of a good supply chain is in using the right tools, and the article has a look at how RFID can play a role in this. Even if your company isn't yet ready for RFID, staying on top of its uses in SCM (supply chain management) will pay off in the future, when you do implement radio frequency technology. Here are some tips for implementing RFID in the enterprise.

RFID Hybrid Tech: Tetragate Biometric Facial Recognition

American Barcode & RFID  has jointly produced a new technology called TETRAGATE which performs facial recognition. The press release makes it seem like something out of a Philip K. Dick-based movie, such as Minority Report or Paycheck, maybe even Blade Runner. Biometric identification has been a growing security niche for quite some time, but only in the past couple of years have biometrics and RFID been combined into security solutions.

Tetragate's solution stores employee biometrics on their smart ID card (using an UHF RFID tag) and compares that with a facial scan on the spot. Apparently, the technology can not only recognize people from a distance of 60 feet - i.e., without people knowing - it can scan 60,000 faces in one second.

I'm speechless. Or at least I was for about 2 minutes after reading this. I've never heard of a solution this fast before. It's the result of several well-known companies, including Symbol Technologies (who Motorola plans to buy out), Fulcrum Biometrics, Zebra Technologies, American Barcode & RFID, and more.

But despite demonstrations of such technology in such TV shows as Las Vegas, I don't have a lot of faith in facial recognition as a reliable biometrics scheme. Faces can change; only eyes don't. I've recognized people I hadn't seen in 10 years or more by their eyes and/or voice, not necessarily their face. And if you've ever seen pictures of any single woman with different hair colours and styles, a partially-obscured face couldn't possibly be recognized with any accuracy.

On the other hand, this solution works on the principle that the person carrying a smart id card is who they say they are, with the facial scan to prove it. If the scan and the biometric info do not match, a "security situation" is triggered. From that point of view, my doubt is irrelevant. This system is then sufficient for its purposes. And if it is using a neural net - as I suspect it must be - then it will "learn" over time, improving on its efficiency. Hence, there may be a lot of security exceptions initially, as the system gets to "know" an employee.

Whether Tetragate is sufficient for airports or borders remains to be seen, though given its apparent speed and power, it might just work, combined with the PASS smart ID card, for the Canada-US border crossing on the bridges.

Catching Up With Contactless Payment!

There is truth to the statement that the advent of new technology and ideas is not welcomed with open arms. Right from the days Galileo was branded a liar and cheat for stating that the earth was round, man has not been too keen on adapting to change from fixed notions and ways of doing things.

While proponents of any new technology wax eloquent on its advantages, there are always the skeptics who predict a quick downfall for the same. The same can be said of the “contactless payment” option that has been rendered a reality by advances in RFID technology.

Wallets, cashiers, and bus and train passes are now passé! Credit cards that don’t have to be swiped, mobile phones that just have to be waved in front of readers to make payments, and public transport turnstiles that allow commuters to flash a card at a sensor – these are just a few innovations that make contactless payment possible. And it’s all done by harnessing RFID technology!

While there’s no doubt that this is a giant leap for technology, there’s a vital issue that needs to be  addressed before the widespread adoption of this technique – the infrastructure that is needed to make all this a possibility.

Picture this! You’re all set for a shopping spree armed with your RFID-enabled mobile phone. No cash, no ordinary, run-of-the-mill credit cards. You rack up your purchases only to find out at the check-out counter that the store is not equipped to offer you the option of contactless payment.

Unless the infrastructural system of readers and scanners find global adoption and usage, there will be very few takers for this technology. With change going against the natural instincts of the average human being, only time will tell how fast this form of payment will come into vogue.

Wal-Mart To Suppliers: Pay Your Own RFID Costs?

Adam Pletsch of IT Business discusses the cautious approach that most SMBs (small and medium sized businesses) have had towards implementing RFID technology. Now while the article itself is interesting, two bits of info caught my eye. One is that several Wal-Mart suppliers whose business with Wal-Mart only amounts to, say, 10% of total business. Yet they have to comply with Wal-Mart's RFID mandate or lose that business. Fine; a company like that can probably say goodbye to 10% and find other business. It'll be a loss, but if the ROI (return on investment) isn't there, then why why bother, right?

Well what about those SMBs who do more than, say, 20% business with Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart has apparently told their vendors, according to IT Business, that they "will not be allowed to pass on the costs of RFID to Wal-Mart; that they must find benefits and save money by streamlining their internal processes."

What? All I can say to that is that it makes no sense. Not the article; the statement. Given that Wal-Mart (like many big box retailers) undercuts small stores by running loss-leader promotions, I can just imagine them saying such a thing. But if they have, to what end? (Wal-Mart is moving ahead aggressively with RFID.) Every business in existence that is still operating factors all of their costs of doing business and charges their clients/ customers accordingly. It's just standard business practice.

So if this stipulation not to pass on the costs is true, Wal-Mart essentially wants to have all their own benefits from RFID but wants their suppliers to subsidize it - when the latter don't get as much benefit in return. I can't see many SMBs suppliers to Wal-Mart lasting under such financial duress.

Now if you don't see some agenda - whatever that may be - in that hard-line stance by Wal-Mart, we're living in different universes. But what if all Wal-Mart suppliers got together and simply agreed to refuse the RFID mandate? Interesting, but it'd probably never happen. By the way, if you are considering the technology, here are some tips for setting up RFID in your business.

RFID: Reducing The Costs With Printed Circuits

One of the more common beefs about RFID implementation that seems to come from end users is the high cost of technology and implementation, although there have been some reductions in cost. For some RFID tech manufacturers, it's being able to keep up with the demand. What if RFID tags could be produced for less and at high volume? That's the question that one company, PolyIC, must have asked themselves because they are testing out a polymer-based printed RFID tag [Engineer Live] that can be produced at high-speed. (Read the Engineer Live article for a detailed explanation of how printed polymer electronics works.)

PolyIC has already succeeded in producing a functioning polyer-based 8-bit RFID tag which operates at 13.56 Mhz, an industry standard. If they succeed at producing this tag at high-speeed and low-cost tag, it has numerous applications for item-level tagging of both luxury and common goods. And a reduced cost might just motivate more companies and retailers to explore the benefits of RFID in logistics, supply chain management, inventory control and other applications. Other companies working on printed electronics for RFID include ORFID Corporation.

NEC Unveils Gate Systems

And now, a new gate system that allows simultaneous, highly-accurate scanning of more than one UHF RFID tag. Developed by the NEC Corporation, the system is expected to be extremely useful in inspection systems in manufacturing lines and inventory control systems in supply chain management.

Set for a global debut at the end of 2006, the gate uses technology that improves upon currently available UHF RFID gates that have a 10 to 20 percent scanning error rate.

Multiple packages can be scanned very accurately by using radio wave reflection, where radio waves are shot indirectly from antennas to RFID tags through reflector plates. Scanning errors are considerably reduced by reflector plates that are placed on both sides of the internal part of the gate.

RFID Readers Benefit Book Readers

Come October, and the mammoth task of replacing barcodes on books, CDs and DVDs across all public libraries in Hamburg, Germany, with RFID tags, is set to commence. The project will ensure faster check-in and check-out times for library users besides providing more accurate information and controlling theft more effectively.

The Danish arm of the UK-based FKI Logistics has been entrusted with the responsibility for this ambitious venture by , Hamburger Öffentliche Bücherhallen (HÖB), Hamburg’s public library system. Accordingly, the company’s Library Mate self-serve check-in and check-out kiosks will be implemented in the city’s central library and across its 17 city branches, to handle a volume of nearly 2 million circulated items each year.

The rollout is slated to begin at the branches before moving on to the main library in April next year. Each branch will have seven stations to check out items, four to check in returns, and one which performs both functions. Only the central library will have a sorter with an RFID transponder that is capable of sorting 4,500 items an hour.

FKI, which has already tackled similar projects in the United States and Denmark, is likely to rope in Tagsys RFID for the supply of tags and readers. The company is set to handle a larger number of branches during the German venture.   

RFID Lets the Good Times Flow…

A bar table that takes your orders, allows you to flirt with that cute girl (or guy) at the other table, play games, send text and instant messages, pay for your drinks, and order a taxi when you’re ready to call it a day! No, you’ve not had one too many, so don’t rub your eyes in disbelief.

Thanks to RFID, these tables are a reality at the Intermission bar in the University of Westminster, London. The Ethernet-powered touch screens allow students to scroll the list of beverages on offer and choose the one they want. They can also send drinks to other tables, besides using the screens as instant messengers to send and receive both preset and original messages.

While students are saved from the hassles of waiting in line and battling the crowds to get that frosty mug of beer, the bar has appointed two sets of staff – one to man the counters with the orders pouring in and the other to deliver the drinks to the respective tables. For those couch potatoes who are averse to getting up even to pay their bills, RFID payment cards make the whole deal sweeter. These cards come with prepaid and billing options.

The touch screen tabletops, which can be rotated 360 degrees and tilted to 45 degrees, were developed by Compuware and Escapism Media using Compuware's Optimal J development tool. Rayhan Rafiq Omar, vice president of communications at the students' union at the University, said that applications such as dial-a-taxi, request systems for the student radio station, streaming football matches and video jukeboxes were in the development pipeline.

Having said all this, is it too far-fetched to say that the humble bar table is all set to take over the television, jukebox, mobile phone and computer?

Reading Too Much into RFID Thoughts?

Offhand, I cannot recall a single phone number from memory. No, it’s not that I have selective amnesia; it’s just that I’ve become so addicted to technology that my brain has taken a backseat for the moment. The phonebook on my mobile phone takes over each time I need to call someone.

And just when I resolve to key in the numbers myself, technology decides otherwise. Now, to add insult to injury, my mobile phone is all set to offer me shopping advice. If all goes according to plan for NTT DoCoMo’s test phase currently underway, your mobile phone will beep incessantly as you shop, reading your innermost desires and guiding you to the articles you wish to buy.

Yes, this is possible through RFID reader phones that scan tags in retail outlets that you visit, assume your buying behavior, and offer relevant advice. So as you browse an aisle that contains the latest in home appliances, you may be bombarded with text messages that something better is available at the store around the corner.

The system also plays the graceful hostess; it offers helpful information about nearby coffee shops and food outlets where you can take a breather, rest your legs, refresh your being, and then shop on again.

While this spoon-feeding shopping may appeal to a few people, I must say it’s just not my cup of tea. I hate the beeps of promotional text messages, and this is just one more salvo in the marketing blitzkrieg that organizations undertake.

Moreover, the fact that someone knows where I’m shopping and what exactly I’m shopping for is creepy enough to send shivers down my spine.

The system is being tried out at the Takashimaya department store in Yokohama between September 13 and 26.

RFID + Pharmaceuticals: Pfizer Combats Fake Viagra

With the deadline fast approaching (Dec 1st) for US FDA compliance for some drugs to be e-pedigreed, pharmaceutical companies are already rolling out specific applications. Pfizer, for example, is using RFID to fight counterfeiting of Viagra [Tech News World]. Viagra - used to restore sexual potency in men - is probably one of the most popular drugs right now, and probably thus a common target of counterfeiting - at least if the dozens of junk emails I get regularly is any indication.

Wal-Mart is also expecting cases and pallets of drugs from certain providers to be tagged, which will likely drive the need for more RFID pharma usage - what with Wal-Mart being the all-powerful retailer that they are. But whether Wal-Mart is dictating usage or not, some experts feel that RFID is the only option for fighting counterfeiting - of drugs or pretty much any high-ticket luxury items. Pharmaceuticals, however, have been typically slow to implement radio frequency technology.

In the case of Pfizer, they are applying passive HF (High Frequency) RF tags to each bottle. Wholesalers and pharmacies receiving product can check authenticity using an RFID reader and an Internet connection. The product is held if its EPC (Electronic Product Code) does not match the expected code for the manufacturer. Since the bottles are expected to be sent back to Pfizer, I'm wondering who is paying for the shipping costs. In the Tech News World article (linked above), Pfizer is indicated as saying that other businesses in their supply chain just are not ready to be part of an e-pedigree system.

More Radio Frequency-Blocking Wallets

DIFRWear has joined the growing list of those offering a way to shield your RFID-enabled smartcards or passports. DIFRWear offers a line of men's and women's wallets that block RF signals using a principle called a Faraday Cage. A Faraday cage is usually a mesh created of material that can block radio frequency signals - typically specific metals.

This is all of great concern these days, especially with US programs like the new e-passport and various contactless smart ID cards for government employees and citizens in general. Some or all of these forms of e-dentification are reputed to have security flaws which allow unauthorized RFID/ contactless readers to access their data and possibly duplicate the information elsewhere. A great deal of the concern is focused on the new ICAO-compliant e-passports, which are being used in the US, European Union, and other countries. (Distribution began in August in many countries.)

I haven't come across any reports yet of how many RF-blocking sleeve units are selling, from any of the companies selliing them (e.g., Emvelope, Identity Stronghold). However, I assume that once a TV news show starts discussing such smartcard and e-passport sleeves, sales will go through the roof. In the case of Identity Stronghold, they have an advantage because their SecureSleeve is being used by the US government for all of its employees identity smartcards.

Isn't it funny how so many new technologies have a flaw that creates a nice aftermarket for products and services?

Montalbano Temperature-Sensitive RFID Tags

With so many applications of RFID involving perishable goods, including drugs, Montalbano Technology's temperature-sensing RFID tags are likely to be a very welcome addition for several industry. The tags are semi-passive and can be read by a standard RFID reader/ interrogator. Not only do they sense temperature but also light and humidity, as well as the duration and intensity of such environmental elements.

The tags have already been used with vegetable and fish products, and also have immediate applications for drugs that are compromised due to heat or light, the food and restaurant industries, and several other applications. Other temperature-sensitive RFID tags are used in Cold Chain Management, by food processors, and even for livestock.

Sources: [RFID Journal]

RFID-Enabled Gets-Sick Doll From Bandai

Bandai, the Japanese company that introducing incredibly popular pop culture toys such as Tamagotchi and Power Rangers now has an RFID-enabled doll [RFID Weblog], Naoru-kun. The doll speaks 150 phrases and "gets sick". When it does, kids are expected to administer any of three items that have embedded RFID tags/ chips: candy, medicine, and a syringe. Each tagged item creates a different response in the doll, which presumably has an RFID reader embedded.

As the RFID Weblog article points out, this sort of toy might foster caring attitudes in very young children. And of course, that's always a good thing. On the other hand, it's possible that children exposed to Naoru-kun may later feel that it's okay to implant RFID chips in people, particularly sick people or children.

RFID Lowdown Weekly Links: Mon Sep 18 - Fri Sep 22, 2006

Links for RFID Lowdown articles posted this week.

1. RFID Tech Knows What You Want?
2. Wanted For Warehouse Work: RFID Cyborgs
3. Making RFID Compliance Easy + Affordable
4. Big RFID Acquisitions: Motorola Buys Symbol
5. White paper: Top Ten Myths About RFID Data Analytics
6. Using RFID And GPS For Improved Transit Service
7. Revised US Pharma e-Pedigree Act?
8. Yet Another RFID Library: Hamburg, Germany
9. Stupid Uses Of RFID: Self-Order Beer Pubs
10. RFID For Combating Counterfeiting

RFID For Combating Counterfeiting

Drug counterfeiting is estimated to cost the pharmaceutical industry $30-35B yearly in the United States. (Counterfeiting in general is estimated at US$450B worldwide for all industries.) RFID is on the table as one of few ways to e-pedigree drugs in order to combat the counterfeiting trade. And now with rumblings of a new e-Pedigree act, the pharma industry has a way to fight the loss. (No idea yet how Wal-Mart's announcement to sell drugs at $4 bottle, I believe, will affect the industry. Or Wal-Mart.)

However, radio frequency technology can be used for the same purpose on other items as well. There are a number of anti-counterfeiting trials on using RFID tech. For example, RFID is used in a number of bricks-and-mortar casinos to combat not only counterfeiting of gaming and poker chips, but to prevent patrons from using one casino's chips at another. RF technology can also be used to validate event tickets, bus/ transit/ train passes and so on.

Stupid Uses Of RFID: Self-Order Beer Pubs

A British university's student union is planning to use RFID to reduce the serving times at six new pub tables. RFID smartcards are used for payment, and touch screens are all over the pub for creating orders. As a former student and *ahem* social drinker, I think this is an idiotic idea. Faster orders of course means more consumption and thus more profits for the student union. But it also means more drunken students sooner in a given night. Isn't there something about a bar's liability for serving people who are already drunk? Does the student union really want the additional headaches of additional drunkness and potential legal problems?

Note that I'm not suggesting pubs should not use RFID systems at all. Just not in a manner that increases the volume of drinking, especially of students. RFID can be used for contactless payment and even inventory control in nightclubs. Examples are the RFID-enabled tilt-tracker created by a Miami company for the hospitality industry, or the Beverage Tracker, created by a San Francisco company for the same purpose.

Yet Another RFID Library: Hamburg, Germany

Public libraries in Hamburg, Germany, will be implementing RFID next month for their signout materials. The conversion will allow library patrons to go through self-serve lanes and automatically check out materials. The entire project is expected to be completed by next year. [via RFID Journal]

Hamburg is just one of numerous libraries around the world which have decided to implement radio frequency technology. The local university and city library where I live has been using RF tags in books for close to twenty years, possibly longer, and has actually been a test bed for RF technology. I don't even think twice anymore about the weird foil sticker with a flat copper antenna. Over the years, library RF systems have matured, with new systems being tested all the time.

Library systems are prime example of how RFID can reduce operating costs, automate  help quickly locate misplaced inventory, and speed up the check-out process - something patrons will appreciate on busy days. Certainly something to consider for giant libraries such as the one in Shenzhen, China.

Revised US Pharma e-Pedigree Act?

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) had at one time intended to have pharmaceutical companies apply pedigreeing technology on all drugs, primarily to combat counterfeiting. They backed off from that plan after it was evident that the industry was lagging behind in implementing a solution - RFID being the FDA's preferred method.

The result was that the FDA mandate the application of RFID to pedigree select drugs, particularly (but not exclusively) expensive drugs prone to counterfeiting by Dec 1st, 2006. Now, it seems, the FDA might be back-tracking on their reduced plan and going ahead with their rules of imposing pedigreeing technology on all drugs. Part of their intent is to combat Internet pharmacies.

Get more details at The Manufacturer or AIM Global. RFID Solutions Online has an article (free registration required) which discusses how RFID can be a powerful tool for the pharmaceutical industry.

Using RFID And GPS For Improved Transit Service

City transit commissions have been working on ways to improve bus/ subway/ transit service for decades. One way, which didn't work, was each bus stop to have it's own extension for a call-in number. Call that number and you could find out when your bus is expected to arrive. That's "expected", because the oldest systems that used this method only approximated based on schedule, not actually conditions that day. Another method used was for the call-in number's operator to call the driver and ask for estimate. But that becomes disruptive to drivers, especially on busy routes during peak hours.

Then on-board-bus GPS (Global Positioning System) units were added to the mix, for a bit more accuracy in estimating current bus location. But that in itself isn't enough to automate a system to inform riders of a bus' ETA (estimated time of arrival). Now, several pilot projects are being tested in different countries using RFID as well as GPS technology. In the case of some projects [RFID Journal] in the US, the buses and the stops each have an RFID transceiver. When a bus approaches a stop, the transceivers communicate via a ZigBee wireless connection, and the sign is updated with info about that bus. I.e., the bus passed by X minutes ago, or will be arriving in Y minutes.

However, with a range of only 100 meters, this doesn't really seem to give passengers much advance warning. If I've understood the RFID Journal correctly, the GPS system, which uses GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) for communication, also sends bus stop signs info about a bus' ETA, and the RFID system later sends more accurate ETA info as the bus approaches within range of the stop.

This isn't the only way, obviously, that GPS or RFID tech is used for transit systems. It may require a city to "wire" their bus stops, but riders will not need to have an RFID-enabled communication device, such as a smart cell phone or PDA, to get a fairly accurate idea of when a bus is arriving.

White Paper: Top Ten Myths About RFID Data Analytics

According to a new whitepaper, Top Ten Myths about RFID Data Analytics", by TR3 Solutions, there are a lot of misconceptions about RFID read rates, data quality, etc. Their free white paper (registration including phone number required) seeks to educate people about these issues.

The 7-page document seems aimed at suppliers and offers some insight into suppliers' thoughts regarding why they don't want to implement RFID in their supply chain. With each "myth", TR3's whitepaper supplies one or more "realities". While TR3 is an RFID solution provider, they've remained relatively neutral about their own products, as far as I can tell from just browsing. It seems a paper well worth reading, whether you are considering converting to RFID in your organization, or are in the process of doing so and are running into internal resistance.

Big RFID Acquisitions: Motorola Buys Symbol

Wow. There have been several RFID mergers and acquisitions this past year, but I think this is a big one in terms of news value. (Lockheed Martin's acquisition of Savi Technologies was big news as well.) Motorola is buying out Symbol Technologies - a relative giant in labelling, bar codes, RFID - for just under US$4 B in cash. I say this only on intuition and educated guess from the headlines I've been seeing for the past year, but this is an excellent acquisition choice for anyone. I'm just surprised that Microsoft still isn't considering being Microhard and getting into more hardware projects. (IBM is certainly doing it.) The deal will not close until about the end of the year. [Reuters via Silicon.com]

Symbol also announced this week a new Gen 2 RFID reader, the RD5000, which can be "integrated with forklifts, pallet jacks, stretch wrappers and other material handling equipment." [via More RFID]

Making RFID Compliance Easy + Affordable

Small-scale suppliers to the US DoD (Dept of Defense) and/or to Wal-Mart have a new option for easier compliance to RFID mandates. RFID Ltd. is offering a "tag-only" solution. The press release says very little, other than that Zebra printers would be used to print the tags, and that they are compliant and affordable. [via CNW]

If you are a company looking for financing for RFID projects, look to IBM Global Financing and AbsoluteSKY. They are jointly offering financing options, but only for AbsoluteSKY's proprietary intelliTRACKER inventory tacking product suite, including hardware, software, and services. [via MarketWire]

This is the first I've heard of financing options, but it might be a feasible option. Of course, if you are company actually creating RFID products and solutions, you could always seek venture capital, but would likely have to give up partial ownership. I'm surprised to not see Microsoft considering this as a way to expand their presence in RFID projects. Is anyone awake over there, or are they just sulking because of the long-term sideways motion of their stock's share price?

Wanted For Warehouse Work: RFID Cyborgs

The RFID In Japan article is very brief, and my Hiragana and Katana script knowledge is rusty, so I can't read the source NIkkei article, but the picture there tells the story: warehouse workers may be using HUDs (Heads-Up Displays) and wearable RFID tech to take inventory and otherwise manage stock. In think this is one of those "killer apps" of RFID, provided workers aren't implanted with chips, and the ROI (return on investment) will eventually be worth it.

Now I might be mistaken, but while wearable computing has been around for quite some time now (over 15 years), most applications have been either for research purposes or for scientific use. This is the first I've heard of it suggested for business use. In fact, like it or not, I think that wearable computing in general has huge applications in business. Future cost decreases might just see more of it in use, whether or not it's RFID-enabled. To complete the ensemble, a wearable VoIP phone would increase productivity, especially in supply chain management.

RFID Tech Knows What You Want?

So you're at a mall and you're not sure what you want? Several Japanese companies have produced an RFID-enabled smart shelf which could suggest something based on previous buying and browsing behaviour of all customers. The system would record a considerable amount of information and produce a database of conversion rates.

So if you're standing in front of a shelf full of, say, DVD players and you take one off the shelf, that is recorded. If you put it back on the shelf, that's recorded, as well as the time it took you to put it back. If you take it with you and buy it, that's also recorded. If you bought other items in the same trip, that's also recorded.

The number of sales compared to the number of "views" produces the sales conversion rate. I assume that if the shelf system would be make suggestions, it might suggest you buy something that's selling like hotcakes. Or something that's not selling? Of course, if you pay for your purchase with something that identifies you - such as a credit card, contactless or not - then it's possible that this info is also recorded. But even if it isn't, this is one of those applications of RFID that I don't have much respect for. It might help a retailer, but it amounts to leading people like sheep. Leave the "product recommendation" business to magazines or TV shows. [via RFID in Japan]

An alternate method of tracking buying behaviour [RFID in Japan] is being tested by DoCoMo, in Yokohama, using mobile phones and embedded RFID readers to collect data. Samsung has also been using RFID to analyze shopping patterns in Korea. These might all qualify as ways that RFID has invaded our lives.

RFID Tags: High Frequency vs Ultra HF

GCN has a critical look at the pros and cons of HF (High Frequency) and UHF (Ultra High Frequency) RFID tags. The website (Government Computer News) is aimed at government agencies, but the article applies to any business considering RFID technology. The salient point is that the government is inconsistent in its desired use of radio frequency technology.

The DHS proposed UHF for the WHTI initiative's PASS card and is already testing it for the US VISIT (Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) program. The State Dept favors HF smart-card tech and the new e-passports uses that. The latter is also used in the new PIV ID cards being issued to all employees of government agencies. (Note that the DHS issued a document suggesting that RFID may not be best for tracking people.)

Some industry experts feel that the VISIT cards are using technology designed for supply chain use and are thus inappropriate for the task. In general, UHF tags and contactless smartcards should not be associated - so the debate goes. UHF tags broadcast up to 32 feet, whereas HF tags broadcast up to 3 feet. Contactless cards only need a short-range broadcast. The problem is that projects using both types of RFID tags have already moved forward, with money invested. See the article for more details.

Wal-Mart Moving Ahead Agressively With RFID

Giant retailer Wal-Mart has been running one of the largest conversions to RFID in the world. In fact, with exception of a Chinese railway ticketing project, Wal-Mart is essentially single-handedly driving a huge part of the RFID industry with their mandate. Part of that mandate is to ensure that each and every one of their suppliers use radio frequency technology in their supply chain as well.

Success levels to date have been reportedly varied, with some suppliers cooperating and others quite reluctant, having to be nudged by Wal-Mart's powerful hand. While Wal-Mart has been touting the benefits of RFID technology, at least for them, the biggest hurdle for the project appears to be those suppliers who feel that the ROI (Return on Investment) for them is not worth the efffort. Well Wal-Mart just upped the ante by announcing that they plan to convert another 500 of their stores (including Sam's Club) to RFID use, effectively doubling the number after the effort. Part of the new push includes adding another 300 suppliers to their list of those that are RFID-compliant. That would double the number to over 600 by Jan 2007.

The bulk of the EPC-based RFID tags in use will be pallet- and case-level, which are generally far less expensive than item-level tags. Benefits of their use, to Wal-Mart, includes reducing the number of out-of-stock items in-store, as well as reducing overstocked items. Benefits of use to suppliers? The cynical view: staying in business. The positive, or at least compliant view: the ability to refine production to generate optimum quantities

As I understand it, there won't be any dragging of suppliers kicking and screaming. Those who do not participate simply will cease to be suppliers to Wal-Mart.

Sources: [Line56, Food Business Review, Progressive Grocer, Food Production Daily Europe]

33 Ways RFID Has Invaded Your Life

Imagine this... robbing a bank is no longer a lucrative option, because every dollar in the bank has an embedded RFID chip that can be tracked anywhere on the globe... or, the RFID chip embedded in your hand interacts with and leads you to the right smart shelves in the supermarket that have your size jeans and clothes (the chip in your hand records your weight and waist-size in real time)...

Sound like science fiction to you? Maybe not; RFID has already settled comfortably in our midst, and is creeping onward every day...

1. Chips in my cheese?

“…RFID has progressed to the point where a cooperative of makers of parmesan have found a way to embed the technology in their wheels of cheese to better track it throughout the long process of making their product. The chips, embedded in the crusts of the wheels, work far better than the old method of branding for tracking purposes.” Mmm...

2. Look, no hands!

Ever tried to get into a ski lift with your full gear on? “A number of ski resorts, particularly in the French Alps, have adopted RFID tags to provide skiers hands-free access to ski lifts.”

3. No more “Baby’s Day Out?”

Isn’t it your worst nightmare when you turn around for a second and turn back to see that baby is missing? With a “chip” on baby’s shoulder, this should be a thing of the past. “Lauren Scott of California will launch a line of kid's pajamas sewn with RFID tags. Readers placed in a house will be able to scan the tags within a 30-foot radius and trigger an alarm if boundaries are breached.”

4. RFID-access for your front door?

We all know how intimidatingly impressive those penthouse, building, or elevator RFID access cards seem. Extremetech offers you a step-by-step guide for installing a RFID-enabled access system at your front door. Cool, huh?

5. My hand is bugged!

Read about Amal Graafstra, a Washington state native and business owner who recently underwent the minor procedure of getting an RFID implant in his left hand. 

6. Where’s my razor?

If, like Gillette, your company produces hard to track items, that can easily be lost or stolen, it may be time to adopt RFID tracking in your organization. “It estimates that around thirty-five percent of their products between the factory and the store are lost. Knowing exactly where all parts of a shipment are at all times would be a great benefit to this company.” 

7. Tunnel Vision

No, we’re not talking about eye problems here, but a miner’s most scary thought – an accident in the mines. Malmberget mine in Sweden has been using RFID from a safety perspective since 2003. Blogger Gautam says, “If a mishap happens the flight recorder flashes the number and last location of the miners. At the time of an accident it really becomes difficult to pin point the location of the miners trapped and this hampers the rescue operations. This system is certainly a boon for the mining industry which is always at a risk of accidents and a number of precious lives could be saved if timely action is taken. It wouldn't be wrong if I call RFID a life saving device after this.” Food for thought, huh?

8. Online Wardrobe?

A team of scientists at the Accenture labs in the South of France is working on technology that will enable you to connect your wardrobe to the internet. Why? “The wardrobe can keep a record of clothing choices as well as allowing users to shop online for new items.” How? “It uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology with tags on every individual item of clothing so the wardrobe knows what is being taken out and put back in.” That’s not all – you can download a record of the wardrobe's contents to a smartcard that will help you buy clothes which will work better with what you already have.

9. Where’s the sponge? Did I leave it in the patient again?

That’s actually not as uncommon in surgery as you might think. “An earlier study revealed that one in every 10,000 patients who undergo surgery has a foreign object, usually a sponge, left inside them by medical personnel. These objects can cause post-surgical complications and even death.” In such scenarios, RFID tags similar to those that cause store alarms to go off when tagged items pass through may help surgeons keep track of sponges during operations. Another life saving use of RFID, one might say! 

10. Talking Prescriptions – Enabling the disabled

“… our very own Department for Veterans Affairs is currently using these RFID tags on visually impaired Veteran’s prescriptions. The Talking Prescriptions are available at various Veterans outpatient pharmacies.”