RFID Lowdown

RFID Lowdown - Tues Oct 31, 2006

SmartCafes
SinoGold, an IT service provider in the Philippines, is offering an RFID- based monitoring system for Internet cafes. Customers would be issued contactless smart cards which could be used for payment and loyalty programs. Each computer would have a reader that would track usage and limit it based on the prepaid amount on a card. This would reduce lineups at the payment counter. [via Inq7]

RFID Compliance Starter Kits
Organizations that need to be RFID-compliant for either the US DoD (Dept of Defense) or Wal-Mart, Target or Best Buy can turn to ILS (Integrated Labeling Systems) RFID Starter kits. These multi-protocol kits are designed to help users implement RFID quickly, while meeting compliance requirements. [via RFID Solutions Online]

China Opens RFID Industrial Zone
China has opened up an industrial zone dedicated to RFID manufacturing as well as actual applications of the technology. The zone is in the Zhangjiang area of Shanghai. [via RFID in Japan]

RFID In Shipping

EPCglobal is conducting a pilot study to promote their EPCIS (electronic product code information services) technical specification in Asia, as well as test RFID for automated customs clearance. EPCIS is a guideline for the standardizing RFID data so that it can be shared. The first of two phases involves tagging containers being shipped between Hong Kong and Japan (by sea).

Another RFID pilot being run by Schenker, a division of Deutsche Bahn, is also being applied to sea freight containers, in this case between the ports of Hong Kong and Hamburg, Germany. This pilot is also in two phases and will last about a year. It will use tags and readers from Intermec, with the tags being able to withstand salt water.

Other companies such as Savi Networks are also testing RFID with shipping containers.

NAIS Animal Tagging Initiative Finds Texas Resistance

Spychips reports that the US initiative NAIS (National Animal Identification System), to tag and identify all livestock into a federal database, is running into resistance in the state of Texas. This despite the fact that RFID chips have been successfully used to roundup cattle stolen by rustlers. The general intent of NAIS is to track and control diseased food animals, including the ability to retrieve information about which farm an animal was born on. Once NAIS is in effect, all newborn, sick, dead, slaughtered, sold or transported livestock must be reported, or fines are levied (US$1,000 per day) by the USDA.

According to the Spychips article, two Texas counties have signed anti-NAIS resolutions. There is also resistance in the state of Indiana, amongst the Amish community, who feel that NAIS goes against their religious beliefs. Mandatory compliance of NAIS was already delayed from 2005 to 2007, due to mass protests. There are other livestock uses of RFID that do not involve NAIS, including monitoring the body temperature of cows.

Measuring Gen 2 RFID

Data is just one of those things that begs to be analyzed. For analysis geeks, un-analyzed data is just wasted data. So it wasn't long after the debut of the Gen2 RFID tag protocol that an electrical engineering professor at University of Arkansas, Kazem Sohraby, and a post-doctoral fellow, Chonggang Wang, came up with two performance metrics for RFID - a way to measure the capacity of an RFID reader. Said Professor Sohraby:

As far as we know, this is the first quantitative analysis of the performance of the Gen-2 protocol

referring to the recent Gen2 UHF (Ultra High Frequency) RFID specification being backed EPCglobal and supported by over 60 other companies in the industry. EPCGlobal's EPC (Electronic Product Code) is being pushed as a worldwide standard for radio frequency technology. Some reports say that upgrading to Gen2 will be expensive, though the cost of UHF readers should fall. So any sort of analysis that improves the usage of current Gen 2 equipment holds a great deal of value. The model devised uses an advanced mathematical concept known as Discrete-Time Markov Chains, which help describe the state of a system - in this case, the different states of an RFID reader.

[via University of Arkansas]

e-Passports for VWP Travelers

--  By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s July 2005 mandate, 24 of the 27 Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries have implemented the e-Passport rules for all new passports issued after October 26, 2006. The three exceptions are Andorra, Brunei and Leichtenstein. Citizens of these 27 countries are allowed to enter the United States without a visa for 90-day business or pleasure trips.

Travelers should be in possession of either a contactless e-Passport issued after October 26, 2006, which incorporates an RFID chip with their biographic information and a digital photograph, or a machine-readable passport with a digital photo issued before October 26, 2006, or a machine-readable passport issued before October 26, 2005.

The new e-Passports should be compliant with the technical standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Citizens from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can follow this link to check if their passports meet the requirements for VWP travelers.

While the DHS touts the new passports as passports to improved security, there are numerous detractors who are decrying the invasion of privacy these documents cause.

Sub-One Cent Item-Level RFID Tags? Is It Possible?

InkSure Technologies has recently signed agreements with printing companies regarding its "chipless" printed RFID tags. Such tags would be used in item-level tagging, a sort of holy grail for manufacturers and retailers and others because of the wealth of data that can be collected. Item-level tags do exist already; however, their use is not as widespread as case- and pallet-level RF tags because of the cost. In the case of manufacturers, if an item-level tag eats up the profit margin on an item, there's no justifiable ROI (return on investment) for using the tags.

But InkSure's CEO, Elie Housman, says:

Our goal is to commercialize 'chipless' printed RFID codes that permit 'non-line-of-sight' collection of product authenticating information and are suitable for a variety of applications, at a cost of less than one cent per item.

Sub-one cent item-level tags would change everything. If this happens, and the demand could skyrocket. On the other hand, if the demand skyrockets and the supply does not increase, the price might rise. It'll be interesting to see what transpires, as cheap item-level tags are what many potential end users of RFID have been waiting for, particularly for inventory control and supply chain, as well as other applications.

RFID Business Advice

Martin Haas, a consulting director at IDC, spoke at the Siemens RFID conference in Germany recently. His advice to businesses considering implementing RFID is simple: have a clear business goal and don't believe the hype. If you collect RFID data but don't "consider the entire RFID ecosystem", then your return probably isn't going to be realized.

If you know what you want to achieve with radio frequency technology, and consider how it will integrate with your business processes, you stand a much better chance of realizing a return on investment. If your workflow processes are flawed, technology isn't going to help magically make it better. It's also quite possible that your business can use RFID for more than one application. So planning and cataloging potential uses will help later determine the type of tags, readers, and middleware that you may need, as welll their implementation. Understand this at a functional level, before calling in consultants.

Privacy Issues and Contactless Payment

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

The experiment conducted by researchers at RSA Labs, a division of information and storage management company EMC, has only added fuel to the fire of privacy concerns in the RFID sphere. Based on trial read runs on 20 credit cards issued by Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, Tom Heydt-Benjamin and his team proves that they were able to glean names, card numbers and expiration dates by passing the cards over a device connected to their computer.

Privacy issues relating to contactless payment applications have reared their ugly head again with this latest security report compiled as part of an RFID study sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Credit card companies are downplaying the problem with the arguments:

• Twenty cards is not a large enough sample to reach generalized conclusions
• The best encryption technology is being used in a majority of the cards (Art Kranzley, an executive with MasterCard says that 98 percent of the cards issued used the highest standards of encryption)
• The data skimmed off the cards is worthless because the number transmitted is not the one on the card, but a dummy number which has to be used in conjunction with an encrypted token on the card for the transaction to be valid
• The distance that the cards can be read from is still under contention

A different version comes from RSA Labs though, where Heydt-Benjamin was able to order electronic goods online with details read off his own card and transferred to a reader. Only a few cards used the dummy number, and in others, there was no verification token in sight.

A strong point in the favor of the card companies is the fine print at the end of the report which states that the card validation code is not transmitted during these surreptitious reads. Since most stores require this piece of data for valid transactions, the cards have only a small chance of being misused. Other advocates of these credit cards will also cite RFID-blocking wallets as reason enough to use them.

Maybe the researchers will come up with a way to make the cards spit out the validation code too, fancy wallet or otherwise – that’s another issue. But what I’m concerned about is the fact that not all cards carry the same amount of security. Are consumers aware of this difference and the reason that it exists? The card companies may shout themselves hoarse that cardholders are not liable for fraud, but why this discrimination between one client and the other?

RFID Solution from Alien, Oracle, Intel

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Oracle, Intel and Alien Technology have come together to develop a complete RFID solution for use in the transportation, automotive, and aerospace sectors. The end-to-end, pre-configured system, which integrates the best of hardware and software from the three corporations, was on display at the EPC Global Conference held recently in Los Angeles.

Being touted as a solution that facilitates quick and easy deployment, the new offering combines data management strategies and business insight from Oracle, infrastructure and data architecture expertise from Intel, and inexpensive tags and readers from Alien, to address the tracking needs of trucking and shipping operations, manage cold and supply chains, and oversee security and baggage handling details at airports.

Prospective and interested customers can check out the solution at the RFID Solutions Center Dayton, Alien’s dedicated facility for the application of RFID technology. 

Free RFID Courses

RFID educational programs are slowly starting to appear, with a small number of community colleges and universities introducing diploma or degree streams. There are also free courses like the webinars offered by iAnywhere (RFID University Semester II). One took place on Oct 17, but there are three more: Nov 2, 16, and one on demand. You can find out more at iAnywhere. OTA Training has a series of paid RFID courses, including their upcoming RFID on the Web e-Learning course. It's great to see more programs like this that will help educate people about RFID. I am actually signing up for both programs, as I'm anticipating that there will be great opportunities for early learners.

The RFID industry, as well as the industries of end users, are suffering from a lack of skilled workers. The RFiD job opportunities are there, but there are not enough graduates yet. Or at least, it's predicted that there will not be enough workers in the near future, when RFID usage starts to enjoy greater deployment for various applications. Not only will there be a lack of workers, there will be a lack of trainers and lecturers as well, for the subsequent waves of people who want an education in this field.

In my experience, university professors in computer science and engineering usually have the wherewithal to pick up a topic like RFID and just start teaching it. However, in the case of RFID, applied courses are probably more important than pure theory, as practical knowledge appears to be the most immediate need.

RFID Applications: Airplane Maintenance

[This post is part of a short series aimed at giving a quick overview of existing and future applications of RFID - radio frequency identification - technology.] RFID is being used for a number of purposes in the airline industry, including baggage tagging and passenger ticketing. Another application of RFID is for airplane maintenance. Boeing is planning to use around 2000 radio frequency tags on each of their new 787 Dreamliner planes, for a cost of nearly US$40,000 per plane.

Only critical parts, especially those requiring high maintenance, are being tagged. By tagging these parts, maintenance status information can be updated automatically and added to the database. Human inaccuracies in recording data are reduced to nil, which can make the difference between safe flights and tragic situations.

While the Dreamliner is an extreme case which had to be tested thoroughly to ensure that the RF tags did not cause interference with the plane's functioning, it's likely that other aeronautics/ aerospace manufacturers will follow suit.

MedicAlert To Use RFID Cards

MedicAlert is a non-profit service in North America where members with life-threatening allergies and other medical conditions wear a special bracelet or necklace engraved with identification. This allows paramedics to access information about the member, in case of an emergency situation. However, that access can take time, which could mean the difference between life and death for some people.

To reduce the access time, MedicAlert, with Siemens Business Services, will start issuing RFID-enabled cards to a select group of its members in the US. Medical information about each member will be stored on the radio frequency tag, which can be accessed by a handheld reader, thus reducing access time to almost nil. Once the patient has been taken to a hospital, more detailed patient information can be accessed from MedicAlert database. The initial phase was tested in late 2005, with another phase to follow. [via Webwire]

The healthcare industry is increasingly finding new applications for radio frequency technology. Some current applications include asset management, patient records managment, patient management. This is in addition to the use of RFID to pedigree pharmaceuticals in order to fight counterfeiting.

RFID Lowdown - Wed Oct 25, 2006

RFID Job Layoffs At Sirit
Not long after purchasing two RFID tech companies, TradeWind Technologies and SAMSys Technologies, the Canadian company Sirit is laying off about 25% of their small staff, at two locations (UK, USA), as part of a restructuring. [via RFID Journal] Given the shortage of skilled workers in the industry, I'm guessing most of these people will not have too much trouble finding work elsewhere. Let's hope that's the case.

Flowers For RFID
Or is that RFID for flowers. A Dutch company, FloraHolland, is using RFID to help manage many thousands of flower trolleys supplied by thousands of vendors for daily auctions. The trolleys are tagged and thus make it easy to find a particular when it is due up for auction. [via Computer Weekly]

Wi-Fi Challenges Active RFID In Health Care
Because so many hospitals already have Wi-Fi networks installed, and equipment that is Wi-Fi enabled, Wi-Fi vendors are going head-to-head with RFID vendors for the healthcare asset management market. [via BusinessWire/ Biz Yahoo] ABI Research is offering a report for purchase on their findings in this regard.

RFID Goes Mobile

RFID News has an article on how RFID is coming to wireless handheld devices and PDAs. WJ Communications has a new Gen2 RFID chipset geared towards both consumer and enterprise mobile devices. With some countries (such as the USA) having more mobile phones than landlines, and with companies like Nokia buying into RFID companies, the writing's on the wall. RFID is going to mobile, whether you like it or not.

Korea, France, and other countries are already testing the ability to pay with your phone for transit, parking (tickets), and/or movie tickets, using contactless technology embedded into (specific) mobile phones. Earlier this year, INSIDE Contactless offered an SD (Secure Digital) card-based contactless reader/writer module for Palm and Pocket PC devices. The module can read and write tags for six different protocols. TradeWind Technologies also has plug and play solutions for mobile devices.

It might seem to some people like a solution for a problem that doesn't exist, but a bit of reflection shows that RFID does actually make payment more convenient in some scenarios.

RFID Applications: Contactless Payment

[This post is part of a short series aimed at giving a quick overview of existing and future applications of RFID - radio frequencyidentification - technology .] RFID has been used for contactless payment for over a decade in the form of both smart cards the size of a credit card as well as small cylinders used as key fobs. Initial trials for key fobs were for payment at gas stations and their snack bars. More recently, contactless payment is being tested via cell phones embedded with an RFID chip.

In the case of contactless cards, some people are concerned over the privacy aspects of contactless card use. One concern is that cash is anonymous; contactless cards are generally not (some are, some are not). Another issue that crops up is the lack of privacy due to RFID use in CRM (Customer Relationship Management). If a retailer you frequent tracks all of your purchases thanks to item-level tagging and a contactless credit card, they have a record of your shopping behavior. While retailers may think that this enables them to provide CRM functions, consumers might be thinking that they don't want this type of information recorded. Though it already happens even without item-level tagging, if you use either a debit/ ATM card or credit card. RFID doesn't change that.

As for issues about data being intercepted from smart cards, contactless cards in particular have a read range of only a few centimeters, so this is highly unlikely. There, however, protective, RF-blocking wallets and sleeves available for those that are concerned.

RFID Applications: CRM - Customer Relationship Management

[This post is part of a short series aimed at giving a quick overview of existing and future applications of RFID - radio frequency identification - technology .] There are a number of ways that RFID can be used to reward VIP customers. One method that is being tested in a select few banks in Europe and Canada is a permission-based system that identifies a customer as they enter a branch location. The customer signs up to carry an RFID-enabled card, which is scanned at the entrance. The appropriate bank representative is immediately notified electronically, and that person can greet the customer and assist them accordingly.

There are of course less vanity-based CRM applications of RFID which simply involve retrieving customer information such as recent shopping habits. (Provided item-level tagging is used.) This information could then be used in stores to make recommendations for new products or services.

RFID Applications: Baggage Tagging At Airports

[This post is part of a short series aimed at giving a quick overview of existing and future applications of RFID - radio frequency identification - technology .] It's one of those things that few people like to talk about, but radical elements in society generally make it necessary to implement processes that ensure that unchecked baggage does not get loaded onto airplanes. This involves the use of RFID to track baggage. If baggage has to be transferred to another plane on a succesive leg of a flight, and the person who original checked in the baggage does not check in for the same successive leg, the baggage should be withheld. RFID technology is one efficient way this is being tested in a number of airports.

A less critical but no less important reason for using RFID for baggage tagging is purely for the convenience of passengers: reducing incidences of lost luggage. This in turn reduces airline operating costs, as they have less claims to pay for.

RFID Applications: Document Tracking

[This post is part of a short series aimed at giving a quick overview of existing and future applications of RFID - radio frequency identification - technology.] Anyone remember when banks first started computerizing records? How many decades has the idea of a paperless society been pushed? I've never for a moment believed that it will ever happen (just like hard currency will probably never go away everywhere in the world). In fact, there are many industries that require paper records, a few being financial (e.g., mortgage details), legal (court case notes), and dental/ medical records.

Not only do these industries regularly maintain paper documentation regularly, but they have to keep such documentation for a considerable length of time. In Malaysia, financial institutions have to keep loan documents for up to 30 years plus seven, with the latter amount expected to increase to 10-12 years.

RFID is being employed to help manage and track document assets. In fact, about 35% of the document- tracking market in Malaysia is expected to use RFID by 2010. In the United States, several legal firms and tax courts, not to mention dental offices, have recently started tracking assets with RFID. Other potential uses would be in police departments, where paper-based case files are regularly maintained.

[sources: The Edge Daily, Star-Tech Central]

RFID Applications: CCM - Cold Chain Management

[This post is part of a short series aimed at giving a quick overview of existing and future applications of RFID - radio frequencyidentification - technology .] Cold Chain Management (CCM) has applications in any industry where strict temperature control must be maintained for products or assets. Example uses are for pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, perishable food products, and chemicals. A new breed of temperature-sensitive RFID tags are helping to automate CCM processes, thus reducing spoilage or critical situations (in the case of medical equipment for surgery, etc.). These RFID CCM systems not only monitor temperatures - or sometimes even light or humidity - but typically also wirelessly transmit any data collected to a central system where a human being can filter the data and act upon a situation as necessary.

A loosely-related application (though not part of CCM) of temperature-sensitive RFID tags is for monitoring livestock, to more readily detect when an animal might be sick. This would be based on not only a change in body temperature - as measured by an ear tag-thermometer combo - but the persistence of change over an extended duration.

[additional sources: SMB Edge, Canadian Forces Logistics, RFID Journal, Medical Device Link]

Radio-Mobile Frequency Clash

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Frequency and bandwidth issues in RFID deployments are coming to light Down Under too. A recent report states that IBM was asked to discontinue an RFID demo at this year’s Australian Open tennis tournament following complaints that signals from the readers were disrupting mobile phone towers in Vodafone’s network. The problem was apparently caused because both systems shared the same frequency band.

While IBM played down the issue saying only that it had terminated the demo because of a problem with a third-part, non-IBM reader, Vodafone said that this was not the first occurrence of such disturbances. The company has asked GS1, the RFID standards group, for assistance in resolving this issue.

GS1 is testing RFID standards and applications with the scientific license extended to it by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for the use of the frequency. ACMA is looking to ensure that Vodafone’s network is free from signal disruptions because of the money that the telecom company has paid for its spectrum license. The agency said that frequency issues would not be a problem as long as the RFID readers were compliant with GS1 standards.

No Cash, Please

This is an interesting development regarding currency that I wasn't previously aware of. In some parts of the United States, it is perfectly legal for some merchants not to accept cash. Whether they can or not depends on the nature of the transaction and how the "debt" is incurred, according to an article by Dr. Katherine Albrecht. This of course opens up the way for a potentially cashless society, i.e., RFID-enabled contactless credit cards.

As person who does not use credit cards myself, but does use online payment processors such as Paypal, it's tough for me to maintain my old stance of keeping some cold, hard cash (literally) circulating in society, without sounding hypocritical, but there it is. My naive consumer point of view is that replacing currency entirely with contactless smartcards increases the cost of living. Someone has to pay for the cost of these cards. Whereas the cost of making bills and coins is paid for by taxes. If we become a cashless society, will our taxes be reduced accordingly? One might argue that the increased use of debit and credit cards without RFID already costs in bank fees, but I warrant that RFID-based cards cost significantly more.

Dog's Best Friend - RFID Chips?

Dr. Katherine Albrecht, co-author of the book SpyChips, explains why RFID chip implants may work for pets but not for humans. She points to a Houston Chronicle article about a dog that strayed 1,400 miles but was returned to its owner thanks to its microchip. (Though there are even older stories of dogs lost on vacation who found their own way home, thanks to some innate homing ability.) Dr. Albrecht says that it's stories like this make people thinking implanted chips can be used to "find anything that goes missing."

Since RFID does not work like GPS (Global Positioning System) devices, and implanted chip read ranges are about twelve inches, an implant cannot be used to find a kidnapped child, lost or captured soldier, etc. I have to agree with her assessment, and it's my primary reason for feeling that this "let's chip everyone" agenda of some groups such as VeriChip Corp. is pure and utter crap, and more of an attempted cash-grab than for any legitimate reason. (Do the math and figure out how much companies stand to gain if they can scare people into accepting a law that forces all human beings to get chipped.)

A few years back before I knew much about RFID beyond my experience with a certain contactless payment card, I wrote a large series of post-cyberpunk short stories set in a futuristic America (USNA - United States of North America = USA and Canada combined), where scanners are placed in a mesh-network formation all over cities, and a band of microchipped rebels manage to escape and find a way to jam the scanners. Short of a society with RFID readers placed in close formation, I don't think implanting people with microchips will have any real functional use, beyond maybe identifying the dead during disaster recovery.

Impinj + Reva Achieve Dense RFID Reading

In Europe, RFID readers must use a "listen-before-talk" technique, where a reader checks for other signals before transmitting its own broadcast. Reva Systems and Impinj performed a joint test using 36 readers and a single listen-before-talk sensor, as well as a Reva TAP (Tag Acquisition Processor) to achieve "dense reading" rates of 98-99% accuracy - previously unheard of for such signal density. Furthermore, the European spectrum for UHF (Ultra High Frequency) RFID is only 3 Mhz compared to 26 Mhz in the USA. So the net result is that the achievement might mean wider adoption of RFID in European, especially in the supply chain.

[BusinessWire via RFID Update]

RFID In Games

RFID is increasingly being used in sports (both for stadium tickets and equipment), including athletic activities such as Parkour - something just as vigorous as any professional sport, if not more. Now, people are participating in another outdoor activity, on a playing field, pretending to be characters from the classic Pac-Man video game. In this game, offered by Mobile Radicals and called Pac-Lan, RFID is used in both the costumes and in colored discs - representing the pills to be gobbled - placed around the field.

La Fuga, from a company called Négone, is a similar interactive RFID-based game being played in Spain that can involve up to 300 participants, each with an RFID-enabled PDA worn on their wrist. Contestants have to escape from a prison that changes its environment based on player performance. Quiz questions are asked and have to be answered, with the results controlling paths and doors. Participants have a limited amount of time to get out of the prison.

A number of video games are also now using RFID, as are children's toys.

[Additional sources: RFID News]

China on the RFID Growth Road

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Amidst all the news detailing China’s RFID woes comes the good tidings that the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology has announced 20 major RFID programs to be sponsored by a 128 million yuan grant from the Chinese government. The programs include:

Super frequency RFID anti- collision technology, RFID middleware research, RFID public service systems and framework design, RFID tag and antenna design technology, RFID system testing technology, RFID information integration and management technology, and RFID industrialization.

The programs are a part of the 863 Plan which focuses on five important areas for RFID applications – postal services, manufacturing processes, food and goods safety management, anti-counterfeiting technology, and financial management.

A recent report from China Computer World Research cites the public security sector as the driving force behind the growth of RFID in China. While the market will initially be watered by deployments in the government, transportation, and manufacturing sectors, the pace will pick up with applications in the logistics and goods supply fields, with the retailing industry emerging the largest market as the technology reaches its prime.

Paucity of Proficient Professionals

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

The RFID industry is growing by leaps and bounds but there seems to be a shortage of experienced professionals to handle specialized deployments. A survey of 80 companies conducted earlier this year by the Computing Technology Association (CompTIA) revealed that 75 percent of the respondents felt that there were very few personnel skilled enough to take charge of real-world implementations.

Book knowledge just doesn’t seem to cut it in this highly specialized field, as Robert Sabella, president of OTA Training, says. The company provides three-day, hands-on training programs that teach the basics of RFID implementation and concepts and also offers the CompTIA RFID+ exam. But certification and training are not enough to hold one’s own in the real world of deployments. 

Another reason for the dearth of competent workers is the high cost of training. But options abound if students are interested – a few like OTA and others like those offered by the Oakton Community College.

Cutting Across Bandwidth Problems

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

We’ve seen how frequency bands are contributing to RFID adoption problems in China. Apparently Europe’s been facing similar kinds of problems with the allocated 3 MHz (865 to 868 MHz) not being sufficient to guarantee efficient performance and accurate read rates. The 26 MHz wide band between 902 and 928 MHz used by RFID applications in United States is occupied by GSM mobiles and other devices in Europe.

The lack of bandwidth has forced Europe to use the listen before talk (LBT) method, that is, readers are required to check if other signals are using the band before transmitting. With the frequency hopping technique used in the US being much more efficient, RFID technology was not getting the due attention it deserved across Europe.

But things may be about to change going by the results of the test conducted jointly by Reva Systems and Impinj at an operational distribution center in Germany. As many as 36 adjacent doors were fitted with Speedway Gen3 RFID readers from Impinj, with the network being managed by a central Reva Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP).

Pallets loaded with 60 tagged goods were passed through each of these doors and onto a docked truck, simultaneously, at full operational speed, several times. With a read time span of one to one and a half seconds for each pallet, and 36 readers set very close to each other, the 98 to 99 percent read rate reported as the outcome of the trial suggests performance of the highest quality.

We’ll have to wait and watch to see if Europe warms up more to RFID because of this successful trial.

That’s Not My Wristwatch, I’m Being Watched

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Post 9/11 and 7/7, authorities have become extra cautious regarding airline and airport security. Banning hand baggage and carry-on liquids just made the lives of innocent air travelers more harassed even as terrorists found ways to do what they usually do – blow up planes and cause havoc and chaos.

Harnessing the power of the latest technology to better the cause of mankind is Paul Brennan, who is leading the Optag project. The endeavor, which is funded by the European Union, is part of the steps being taken to step up airport security, safety, and efficiency measures around the world.

The Optag system will employ RFID technology in tandem with high resolution panoramic video imaging to tag air passengers either using wrist bands or boarding passes, so that their movements can be tracked around airport terminals. The tags, which can be read accurately from within a meter, emit a unique identifier that is cross-checked with passenger name and flight number, details that are already stored on the system. They are also linked to closed circuit television sets that show the precise location of passengers inside terminals.

Before privacy advocates cry foul at this “tagging”, let me add that the tags contain no personal data besides your name. Brennan says that the storage of biometric information and commercial usage are possibilities in the near future, depending on the success of a pilot at the Debrecen Airport in Hungary later this year.

Optag will also aid in tracking lost children and getting passengers to their boarding gates on time, according to Brennan.

Implants and contactless payment for shopping "ok" for UK teens

-- By Shyama R, Staff Writer

Who grabs all the hi-tech stuff first? Teens - and looks like most teens in the UK are happy to try contactless payment according to a report. What's more some don't mind getting implants.

The report by Tomorrow's Shopping World suggests around 8 per cent of 13 to 19-year-olds were open to the idea of microchip implants while 16 per cent wanted trolleys to be fitted with SatNav systems. This compared to just 5 per cent and 12 per cent respectively for adults asked the same questions. More here.

Two thirds of teenagers and 62 per cent of adults questioned for grocery think tank IGD's report wanted self-scanning systems at shop checkouts. And some 7 per cent of people in both age groups were willing to use biometric iris or retina recognition payment systems.

The idea of having a high-tech shopping experience is catching on and customers are willing to have microchip implants in their bodies as a means of paying in stores -  can you believe that? Now isn’t that a clear indication of how intriguing RFID technology is to people everywhere?

The report, sponsored by technology services company EDS, followed an IGD poll of 500 teenagers and a similar number of adults about their predicted grocery shopping habits for the next decade. Ok the number polled not too many but still worth your interest.

In the US contactless payment is a hit.  But, how many want implants is yet to be surveyed - are any retail giants reading this. Now in the healthcare sector there is a real need for implants especially for the chronically ill for example.

Nevertheless contactless payment is the next big thing in shopping and that’s why leading provider of embedded RFID reader technology SkyeTek, Inc., are coming up with new support for this with thrown-in lures of consumer loyalty points etc.

On a lighter note, the Britons surveyed wished staff to pack their bags and have more staff involvement in the shopping experience. Anyway I feel that it is the willingness to try something new and youth that's making teens want implants for shopping and maybe to simply declare –“THAT'S HOT!”

Philips Semiconductor To NXP: The Transformation

A few months back, Philips Semiconductor, a division of the giant Royal Philips Electronics, was spun out as NXP. As a result, NXP received a private equity deal worth over US$8Bln. While Philips gave up majority ownership - keeping only 19.9% - they still have a stake, and it's been business as usual [Contactless News].

Since NXP formed, they kept the existing management team and have continued to work on various existing projects, particularly those involving RFID. According to Contactless News, NXP are focusing their efforts on five markets: automotive, identification, home, mobile and personal, and multimarket semiconductors. The 80.1% stake that Philips sold went to a private equity group formed by three equity firms. The reason for the sale was that Philips wanted to focus on consumer electronics.

Cubic Wins Award For Transit Smart Cards

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

Back when I lived in the big city, in my mid-twenties, I did a lot of consulting in neighboring cities and towns. While I lived in the heart of downtown, with access to a fairly good transit system with subway, buses and streetcars (no, not San Francisco), I often had to use up to three or four different systems to get to client offices. I could put up with the 1-1.5 hour trips in each direction, but trying to keep enough change, especially during the bitter cold of winter, was not enjoyable. It would have been nice to have a single transit card that I could use for all of them.

Well, Frost & Sullivan has awarded their Innovation & Advancement award to Cubic Transportation for just such a reason. Cubic links multiple transit operators and simultaneously offers a single payment system. This obviously makes things convenient for citizens in metropolitan areas where there are satellite towns and cities with their own transit systems. All they need is a single RFID-enabled contactless transit card.

The company also came up with a Tri-Reader that processes a number of ISO 14443-compliant (credit card form factor) contactless smart cards, including those used by occasional riders such as tourists. Cubic projects are ongoing in London (UK), South East Queensland (Australia) and a number of US cities including New York/ New Jersey, Washington, D.C./ Maryland, Atlanta, L.A., San Francisco and others. Another company working on innovative contactless transit ticketing is Innovision, with their Jewel chip. RFID is also being used to improve transit service.

[via Contactless News]

Metal-Compatible RFID Transponders

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

One of the problems with HF (High Frequency) RFID tags is that typically do not function well on, in, or near metal. There are, however, many industrial applications where RFID would be a boon. Trials show that UHF Gen2 RFID tags do much better in these situations. As such, Sontec Co. has devised an RFID transponder for RSC (Retail Supply Chain) use that functions well around the high metal content of consumer goods such as appliances and electronics.

The company's EPC Gen 2 tags' silicon chips are supplied by Texas Instruments and is actually mounted on metal - something no one would even bother to try with other RFID chips. This chip gets around a number of the interference problems.

[via RFID News]

Free RFID EBook: TheVeriChip.com

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

TheVeriChip.com is a website offering two free documents (in single e-book) offering to reveal "the truth" about the VeriChip. VeriChip Corporation has an RFID microchip that has been designed to be implanted into people - and approved by the FDA for medical applications.

Since then, the VeriChip has caused a storm of controversy amongst civil libertarians and as a result, average citizens. Applications of the chip to date, around the world, has been for identifying dead bodies during disaster recovery (including Hurricane Katrina), volunteers for implant (including the chronically ill), as well as involuntary use (though not confirmed) amongst prisoners and the mentally ill. And even accidental use of microchips, though not the VeriChip itself. Not to mention, suggestions that the VeriChip be used for US soldiers, to replace the dog tag.

A quick scan of the ebook shows that they discuss all of the companies financially related to VeriChip Corporation, as well as the uses of the microchip. They also have a number of updates on the website, including one that is sure to fan the flames of controversy: an 11 year old girl whose parents are making her get chipped for fear that she might be kidnapped. (Prior research shows that the vast majority of childnappings are perpetrated by a disgruntled parent before or after a separation or divorce. It is otherwise rare.)

That said, I have not read the ebook yet, so I cannot vouch for any of the information inside.

AIM Global RFID Position Statement

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

AIM Global, a non-profit industry trade association with a focus on automatic identification technologies, published a "position statement" RFID solutions and issues. In the paper, AIM Global expressed their support for the use of item-level tagging for supply chain use, especially in promoting a secure food chain and for pharmaceutical pedigreeing.

They did not take a stance on whether HF (high frequency) or UHF (ultra high frequency) tags were the better solution, saying that both have their place. In addition, they plan to fund efforts to remove artificial regulatory barriers and promote education of RFID. Get more details from the position paper (free registration required). [via RFID Solutions Online]

RFID VIP Treatment: You Don't Know Me Like That

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

So you walk into a bank or store and suddenly people you don't know greet you by name and lavish you with attention. At least that's what would happen if banks, stores, and other places implement NCR's new RFID system, designed to help businesses cater to VIP customers. They can do this if you voluntarily agree to carry a special membership card embedded with an RFID chip.

While this might be ideal in private clubs, nightclubs, semi-private golf courses, I'm not so sure that treatment like this would necessarily be well received in openly public places. Though I could be wrong. However, only a few banks and retailers have tried the system, reluctant to invade customers' privacy.

Tracking RFID’s Progress Across the Atlantic – the Savi Way

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

The utility value of RFID is perhaps most seen in tracking assets as they move through the supply chain. Savi Networks, the partnership between Savi Technology (owned now by Lockheed Martin) and Hutchison Port Holdings, has accordingly widened its active RFID-based cargo tracking network to service ports in the United Kingdom.

With the SaviTrak infrastructure now installed at the Port of Felixstowe in southeast England, Savi has extended its reach to 20 ports across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. Savi Networks Chief Operating Officer Lani Fritts says that this covers all ports from where at least half the cargo that enters the United States originates. And that’s not all – Fritts says that plans are afoot to equip 75 more ports.

Meanwhile, automobile manufacturer Jaguar is leveraging the network at Felixstowe to track parts shipments bound for the US. RFID Update reports:

Jaguar and its logistics partner, Unipart Logistics, will use sensors and ISO-standard active RFID tags on shipping containers as part of the Jaguar Tradelane Project to provide real-time location information and security alerts for shipping containers packed with replacement parts. Savi's systems at the Port of New York/New Jersey and the Port of Oakland in California will track inbound Jaguar shipments.

Verifying Babies’ Identity with VeriChip

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Cartoons and comic books formed a large part of my childhood, not because I was addicted to them, but because my siblings and numerous cousins drew sustenance from them. I remember one in particular though, featuring “that wascally rabbit” Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. Born as two sets of twins to two couples, as babies, they are switched because of a collision between the parents at the hospital. The rest is pure humor according to convoluted comic-book logic.

This snippet rose to the forefront of my memories when I came across news that more than 20,000 babies are switched at hospitals in the United States every year. To make sure that this number decreases considerably, the VeriChip Corporation has introduced its Hugs infant protection system for hospitals. The RFID-based application provides hospitals with protection against infant abduction and mother-infant mix-ups.

The system is now being deployed at hospitals in the Middle East too, reads an announcement from VeriChip. The company’s international dealer Austco Communications Systems is installing the solution at the Royal Hayat Hospital in Jabriya, Kuwait, and at the International Medical Center and the Security Forces Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

VeriChip also offers RFID-based systems for use in situations that demand emergency response and for wander-proof measures. Elderly patients can be confined, without restrictions, within safe locations with RoamAlert and WatchMate, while MyCall allows housebound patients to summon help when accidents happen.

Visit the VeriChip website for more information.

Arresting RFID in Asia

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

At first glance, the $200 million RFID tag market in Japan, South Korea and China looks impressive with figures forecast to touch $469 million by 2012. But on comparison with North America where the market is already worth $1 billion and heading towards the $4 billion mark by 2010, the gloss is taken off the numbers. What are the reasons behind this wide chasm between east and west?

Random standards and bandwidth allocations are emerging as the biggest hurdles to the growth of RFID technology in Asia. The potential is highest in China and Japan, but, while China is grappling with bandwidth issues, Japan has its own lack of consistent standards to worry about.

The Chinese Conundrum:
While the rest of the world has set aside the 860 to 960 MHz frequency band for the use of RFID,  China has decided differently and dedicated it for wireless telecommunication, radio broadcasting, and aerospace. Add to this the general reluctance to adopt user-friendly technology standards in an effort to keep foreign investments at bay and China’s RFID plans come to a standstill. Wal-Mart, which procures most of its non-perishable goods from China, recently ran into the Chinese great wall of RFID restrictions when it tried to impose RFID regulations on its Chinese suppliers.

The Japanese Jumble:
Though Japan has taken to RFID technology more quickly than its Asian counterparts, the high cost of tags is being seen as an impediment to the industry's growth. Though RFID is currently being leveraged in applications for contactless payment, mobile phones, and supply chains, with the market for reading equipment being quite fragmented with different standards and patents, communication between the devices is difficult even over the same frequency. The government is taking steps to address this problem by advocating the use of the deregulated UHF-band frequency and developing common technology standards.

Meanwhile, Thailand is also emerging as a hotspot for RFID usage with the technology being implemented to track cargo in the Suvarnabhumi airport which boasts the world’s largest passenger terminal.

Scottish Bank Contactless Trial

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is testing special dual-interface smart debit cards, supplied by Giesecke & Devrient, that are EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) compliant. They are the first European financial institution to use smart cards. During the trial, the only users are RBS employees. Giesecke & Devrient are the second-largest smart card manufacturer in the world. [via Contactless News]

Current research is showing that smart cards are going over well with Americans, in marked contrast to poorly-received trials in Canada in the early 1990s. While the RBS trial is the first of its kind in Europe, Paris has a contactless fare-payment trial whereby passengers use their RFID-enabled cell phones to pay transit fares. Warsaw, Poland is using contactless cards for transit and parking payments.

RFID In Robots

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

Robots are used in a lot of manufacturing processes in numerous industries. But each robot is typically programmed to do a specific task, and would have to be retooled to perform a different type of task. Wittmann, a manufacturer of automation systems, is employing RFID technology to make their robots smarter [RFID Journal].

An RFID tag in a robot arm's hand define the type of robot and thus its role and the sequence of tasks it should perform. Each type of hand has a different role, as indicated by the tag. Apex Automation is also using RFID in its robotic automation sytems. As companies realize the various benefits of RFID in manufacturing, we're likely to see more usage of RF technology.

No Alien to Progress

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

The Alien Technology Corporation is continuously hitting the headlines for its pioneering efforts in the field of RFID technology. The organization, which is renowned as a worldwide supplier of Gen2 RFID tags, has come out with a new Gen2 UHF RFID Integrated Circuit. Codenamed Higgs, this IC which boasts a longer read range and faster write rate than current Gen2 chips, will be the base for Alien UHF RFID tags.

Close on the heels of this announcement comes the news that Alien has signed strategic, multi-year agreements with six leading RFID label suppliers to sell up to 840 million RFID tags, including tags built using the new IC. These tags will be used to create labels for use in various supply chain, asset tracking, and item-level identification applications.

Consolidating on its efforts to remain a leader in the RFID tag world, Alien recently inaugurated its mammoth manufacturing facility in Fargo, North Dakota. The unit, spread over 48,000 square feet, is tagged as the “world’s most advanced and sophisticated UHF tag manufacturing facility,” with the current capacity to manufacture 2 billion tags annually. Future plans include raising the annual manufacturing capacity to 10 billion tags.

Purging Phony Pharmaceuticals

-- By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry has far-reaching consequences that extend beyond the money aspect. Loss of life, undesirable side effects, violent allergic reactions – these are just a few repercussions. The FDA, realizing the positive aspects that RFID can contribute to purging this menace, has pushed RFID regulations into the pharmaceutical sector.

Now, Intelligentz Corporation is contributing its mite to eliminating counterfeit drugs by using an arsenal that includes its business method, RFID software, and technology. The company has devised a unique code that can be placed visibly on each pill to certify that it is the real thing.

A database generates a code (which includes an RFID tag) for the pill while the business method provides inventory tracking  throughout the supply chain. Codes are sent to drug manufacturers through the Internet, where they can be matched against the right bottles, cases, and pallets. The database updates itself as the pills travel through the supply chain.

The centralized database is secure and access in allowed only to authorized users.

RFID Lowdown - Wed Oct 11, 2006

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

Jamaican RFID Toll Highway
Jamaica is currently working on a new Highway, 2000, which has a 21-lane toll plaza. Payment options include TransCore's eGo RFID sticker tag. The high-speed passive tags are applied to a car's windshield, operate at 915Mhz, have a read range of 31.5 feet (9.6m), and 2Kbits of read/write memory. [via BusinessWire] RFID has been use in toll collection in North America for at least a decade, possibly longer, and has been spreading in use to Europe, Asia, and South America as well.

China Investing In 20 RFID Programs
The Chinese government's Ministry of Science and Technology had listed 20 major RFID programs in 5 key areas, which will get a total of RMB128 Mln (=~ US$16.17M; RMB = Renminbi = Chinese Yuan) in funding. [via China Tech News]

Virginia Port Authority To Get RFID Tech
The Virginia Port Authority will be getting RFID technology to manage cargo container shipments. The technology is being installed by Savi Networks, which is a joint venture between Savi Technology (owned by Lockheed Martin) and Hutchison Port Holdings. Savi Networks has also installed other RFID systems for other port authorities around the world. [via Trading Markets]

Extreme-Case RFID Scenarios

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

What would you say is one of the harshest all-round applications for RFID tags to be in? That is, extremes of temperature (hot and cold), vibration, air pressure, and life duration. If you said jet plane use, you'd be right. Boeing has a project which uses around 2000 high-memory passive RFID tags in each 787 Boeing Dreamliner plane that is rolled out. (There are 4 million parts, but only 2000 are being tagged.)

Temperature conditions range from -40 F to +300 F (Fahrenheit) (with occasional bursts to 1200 F). The tags have to work in a range of 860-960 Mhz (Megahertz), so they're compatible with UHF (Ultra High Frequency) readers in any appropriate country. Memory requirements are 64,000 bits, compared to Wal-marts 96 bits. Oh, and the tags have to last 20 years.

So it's not surprising, then, that even though most item-level RFID tags are about US$0.40, these are $15-20 apiece. (For reference, consider that for widespread use of item-level tags, particularly in CPG - consumer packaged goods - the desired price is sub-ten cents, preferably five cents.) Read Evan Schuman's Storefront Backtalk article for explanation of why Boeing needed the tags they are using, and how it is making their parts documentation process more accurate.

Boeing has previously used RFID on their MD-10 Freighter planes, which are used by FedEx, the courier company. These are online some of the ways that the airline industry is using RFID, with baggage and ticketing being others.

[additional sources: Storefront Backtalk]

US Army To Save $$ With RFID

--By Raj Dash, Staff Writer

The government or Army wanting to save money may surprise you, considering the fiasco a few years (decades?) back with the $600 hammers (and $1000 ladders?) they supposedly ordered. But the US Army is saying that their RFID implementation may save them a half million dollars this year. They're using RF technology for a variety of uses including tracking parts of two of their communications systems. RFID might also be used to track the renovation of a defense system being used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more details about the use of RFID and the Tobyhanna Army Depot pilot project, which uses the WhereNet RTLS, at RFID Journal.

RTLS, or Real-Time Location System, refers to a specific application of RFID which allows tracking of assets or people. A number of hospitals are using RTLS wristbands and tags to manage patients and track hospital equipment.

Pharmaceutical RFID Strategies

With the FDA deadline looming near for US-based pharmaceutical companies to e-pedigree a select range of their products, a number of trials are already ongoing, despite the otherwise delayed implementation in the industry. Pfizer is one company that has a Viagra anti-counterfeiting pilot project running, which has resulted in over 2M bottles of Viagra being tagged.

Their strategy is interesting, using all of item-, case- and pallet-level RFID tags. However, they do not necessarily validate all item-level tags. They do, however, structure tagging in using a hierarchy, so that a particular item-level tag can be associated with its original case or pallet. They state that they do not include the NDC (National Drug Code) number on item-level tags for security reasons. Barcodes are included as backup. (They've had a tiny percentage of "dead" tags.) [via RFID Journal]

This code hierarchy allows for the tracking of indvidual bottles. So, if a bottle is sold somewhere, and its parent case/ pallet tag does not match the pharmacy a shipment was sent to, this can easily be determined.

As for what type of RFID is most suitable for the pharmaceutical industry, it's expected that they will eventually move to NF UHF (Near-Field Ultra High Frequency) via a hybrid path of HF-UHF first. That's according to Venture Development Corp, a market research firm. This is because UHF works better in liquids and metals than HF, reads faster, and encodes tags faster. There are still technical issues to be worked out before EPC Gen 2 tags are widely available at reasonable prices. But a report from late last year, by ABI Research, indicates that the cost of UHF tech will drop.

RFID Standards: What Is ICAO?

ICAO stands for the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency run by the United Nations and headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Part of their interests include border-crossing procedures, which are typically conducted at destination airports. As such, ICAO is overseeing the standards (PDF, 40 pages) for the new RFID-enabled e-passports.

These passports started being distributed in numerous UN member nations, especially in the European Union, in August 2006. Security experts have pointed out the security risks and shown how the data from the RFID chips in these e-passports can be cloned. The ICAO acknowledged the risk of something called a permanent RFID "session key". But about the cloned chips, industry groups say there is a little risk.

It's these sorts of inconsistencies about the potential security risk that no doubt get up the backs of civil libertarians and likely the general populace. While education about RFID is important, a lack of a trusted authority providing a definitive answer about security risks is likely to produce a lot of resistance to these e-passports.