To provide real-life conditions for evaluating and optimizing RFID applications NXP Semiconductors announced the opening of the RFID Applications and System Center in Tianjin, China.
Within the center, NXP has constructed a variety of environments for trialing different RFID applications, including electronic certificates, secure payments and energy monitoring.
The new facility accommodates to label customers, system integrators and end users with its customized antenna design, read/write device optimization, customized RFID test environments for fashion, medical, logistics, warehousing, industrial production and animal identification application systems.
The NXP RFID Application and System Center offers experimental and test equipment, capable of providing label design and label product performance analysis, to assist in the development of fully optimized solutions
Another application for RFID is applying this technology in gathering travelers’ payments in using highways. Previously all the vehicles should be waiting in a long queue to pay the toll to the toll station. In addition, cost of employee that should be seat on this station, tickets that should be printed for vehicles, manual toll collection, etc all brings high cost and it was time consuming. Using RFID system in this process eliminates manual toll collection and also reduces the need for employee. Furthermore fast collection money, remove the long queue and increase satisfaction. Vehicles just by stick RFID tags on their window and pass through the RFID reader without stopping and wasting time can easily pay their toll as you see in the below picture Easily by RFID this process will done effecincy by minimum amount of cust and time.
source: Stefan Dahl, 2006, “Anonymous car toll payment using RFID tags”, KTH Royal Institute of Technology School of Computer Science and Communication, Stockholm, Sweden
Do you need to employ a mass of labor to sort the garments by material and throw them to the right washers in your laundry? Do you find it hard to keep track of the garments rented to the customers? RFID technology for laundry, which will benefit the laundry industry in a huge number of ways, such as eliminating errors in laundering orders and inventory counts, may help to figure out the above problems. RFID in laundry application is proving immediate and long term benefits to garment management in process and lifecycle traceability. The laundry tag can withstand temperatures between -20 and +110 degrees, and can survive harsh treatment including sterilization. The DAILY RFID(company name) series includes RFID tags for almost any application. Early interest in RFID came from the developers of inventory control systems for commercial laundry processes, specifically for the higher valued rental garments. And the challenge as originally posed for RFID was to provide a means of automatically reading garments without a line-of-sight read requirement and provide a durable tag that could survive multiple washings. As a result, RFID technology for laundry utilization is in the ascendant.
Airport Authority Hong Kong, which operates the facility, believes RFID tracking will greatly improve customer satisfaction and security. It will also, according to Matrics, significantly cut the airport’s operating costs. Hong Kong International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and a major hub for passengers transferring from flights to and from China. Approximately 35 million passengers use the airport annually, and 40 percent of the luggage handled there comes from transfer flights. Passenger numbers are also expected to grow significantly as the number of flights to and from the Chinese mainland continues to grow.
RFID technology will be deployed across Hong Kong airport’s extensive baggage-handling facilities alongside the existing bar code system. All items of luggage (both those checked in at the airport and those transferred from incoming flights) will continue to be fitted with a bar-coded label bearing a 10-digit IATA (International Air Transport Association) number. However, as each item arrives at the luggage-handling conveyor, a machine will automatically stick a smart label to each piece of luggage, a bar code scanner will read the bag’s bar-coded label, and the label’s IATA number will be written to the bag’s RFID tag. Whenever a bag’s bar-coded label isn’t read properly, that bag will be diverted and the process of writing the IATA number to the RFID tag will be handled manually.
One key aspect of deploying RFID is to improve the accuracy of the existing bar code system. "The current bar code system is 85 to 95 percent accurate," Shoemaker says. To identify luggage ready for loading onto planes, readers will be deployed on the luggage-holding system’s four huge luggage carousels. Readers will be deployed also at the lateral conveyors, which take luggage to loading piers where luggage is manually transferred to unit load devices (ULD)—large containers that are loaded onto the plane. An RFID reader will be clipped temporarily to each ULD to ensure that the correct luggage is loaded into the correct ULD, and then unclipped once loading is completed. The system will automatically create a manifest so that items of luggage can be traced to specific ULDs.
As if pain, conspiracy big brother, and lack of necessity weren't already enough to deter you, the average Joe or Jane, from getting a subcutaneous RFID chip implant, a number of studies over the past decade have amassed which link the chips to malignant tumors in animal tests. Besides the potential foul play going on at the FDA and VeriChip Corp. that got the chips approved for human use in 2004, studies showing as little as 1% cancer rates in lab animals led researchers to note that the aggressive tumors which immediately encased RFID implants with cancerous cells were "clearly due to the implanted microchips", and not random occurrences. That isn't to say RFID itself is dangerous -- we put far more powerful radios up to our heads every day using a cellphone or even a Bluetooth headset. But implants are still looking mighty sketchy all of a sudden; probably not the news some 2,000 US RFID implantees (including Mythbuster Kari Byron, who got a chip injection on-camera last week) want to hear, but the sooner you can deal with it, the better, says we.
1-RFID technology has been used to identify millions of livestock animals around the world. These systems track meat and dairy animals, valuable breeding stock and laboratory animals involved in lengthy and expensive research projects. The Australian National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) is the first and the largest implementation of RFID for animal tracking in the world.RFID transponders are worn as ear tags or as an inter-ruminal capsules. Farm management can be fully automated for such processes as feeding, weighing, disease management, and breeding practices. 2-IBM has developed radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking technology to track chickens from farms to supermarket shelves. The supplier is working with a Norwegian food producer Nortura to build a proof of concept item-level tagging application for the food industry. RFID has been used successfully to track animal movements, such as the movement of cattle during the BSE outbreak, and to protect high-value items such as whisky and clothing, But it is unusual to find examples of item-level RFID tagging in food production, according to Stefan Pique, European director at GS1, the supply chain data standards body. http://www.electrocom.com.au/rfid_animalid.htm http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles
RFID systems can be used to manage inventory of automobiles in new and used car dealerships and in rental car lots. Use RFID technology to track the location of each car in the lot at any time. In addition, our advanced RFID technology can automatically check cars into and out of the lot in real time. Benefits of using RFID systems include: total visibility of all cars in the lot, facilitate just-in-time delivery of cars as they are needed, allow inventory of less popular cars to be reduced, full inventory history of cars at each location, full control of inventory content and location for cars in the facility, automatic notification when a car enters or leaves the lot, alarm when a car disappears from inventory and eliminate manual record keeping, thereby increasing accuracy and staff productivity. A complete solution for the Car Dealerships asset tracking applications will contain three main RFID components: RFID Tags, RFID Readers, and software to collect and manage the RFID data. The diagram below illustrates how a car lot can be monitored in real time with active RFID readers placed such that the entire auto yard is covered. Each vehicle is equipped with an active RFID tags that can be set communicate with the reader network and report on location and movement. RFID Asset Tracking LocateWare software can report on actual location and also gather historic movement information
Fifty jewelry stores in the Middle East have begun using an RFID system designed to monitor the movement of each piece of jewelry. The system was designed by The Jewellery Store (TJS), a startup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, specifically launched in October 2005 to develop and market the jewelry-tracking system. Other retailers throughout the world have shown an interest in the RFID solution, according to Gabriel Nasser, TJS' IT director. Currently, stores in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain are using the system, including showrooms of the multinational chain Damas Jewellery. Jewelers in the Middle East have a special incentive to implement an RFID inventory-tracking solution. The jewelry industry there is dictated largely by the price of gold, Nasser says. For example, a gold chain's value depends strictly on its weight. Because of that, insurance costs can rise and fall with the fluctuations of the price of gold. When that price rises, Nasser says, many Middle Eastern stores can be forced out of business, unable to pay the additional cost of keeping that jewelry in their inventory. http://www.rfidjournal.com
1st Choice Security Solution announced its T-8000 vehicle identification tag series, designed to identify cars, trucks, buses and towed trailers traveling at 300+ MPH.
With an adjustable read range up to 2,000+ feet, the T-8000 tag can be mounted out of the driver’s sight behind the rear view mirror. Metallic windshields, metal mirrors and grills do not affect the signal, thus the tag can be mounted under the hood of the vehicle for high security applications.
RFID enables courts, law firms to track files
In courthouses and law firms keeping track of records can be a hassle. Who checked them out? Did they sign them back in? The amount of time it can take to locate a missing record eats up valuable resources.
Courts and law firms around the country are looking to RFID to keep track of files. Some of the systems are more elaborate than others, says Tom Pemberton with San Jose, Calif.-based FileTrail Inc. Some deploy RFID systems that can track a file in transit, while others track who checked it out and when it occurred. Often handheld devices are used to track missing files.
As we know many companies are now using sophisticated Warehouse Management Systems integrated with Supply Chain Systems, Enterprise Systems, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the movement and tracking of goods through the manufacturing and supply chain process is still a complex procedure which is difficult to manage.
Currently, most material tracking systems employ two-dimensional barcodes that must be close to and within the "line of sight" of the barcode reader. This requires manual scanning or a conveyor-like process to position the barcode and scanner. Barcodes can run the risk of getting wet or scratched due to mishandling or a harsh environment, which often prevents accurate reading by the scanner. Manual intervention is labor intensive, costly, and error-prone. In addition, scheduled scanning or manual methods cannot ensure the inventory remains up-to-date, due to oversights, errors, and internal shrinkage.
With RFID solution, inventory can be updated in real time without product movement, scanning or human involvement. Our fully automated system allows inventory status to be determined, and shipping & receiving documents to be generated automatically. The system could also trigger automatic orders for products that are low in inventory.
Benefits of using RFID Systems:
Provides total asset visibility
Gives full inventory history
Allows reduced inventory-stocking levels
Facilitates "Just-in-Time" deliveries
Provides full process control for products in the facility
today I'm talking about two kinds of RFID : passive and active RFID and also some differentiation between them.
Active RFID and Passive RFID are fundamentally different technologies that are often evaluated together. While both use radio frequency energy to communicate between a tag and a reader, the method of powering the tags is different. Active RFID uses an internal power source (battery) within the tag to continuously power the tag and its RF communication circuitry, whereas Passive RFID relies on RF energy transferred from the reader to the tag to power the tag.
Passive RFID requires stronger signals from the reader, and the signal strength returned from the tag is constrained to very low levels. Active RFID allows very low-level signals to be received by the tag (because the reader does not need to power the tag), and the tag can generate high-level signals back to the reader. Additionally, the Active RFID tag is continuously powered, whether in the reader field or not. Active tags can also 'beacon,' or initiate communication with a reader (or other tags) when certain conditions are present. Active tags can also contain external sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, motion, and other conditions.
In the purpose of strategic management one of the important business level strategies is COST LEADERSHIP STRATEGY. Supply chain management is one of the main issues of every industry in order to coordinating this process efficiency and also reducing the cost. Increase efficiency in this process is equal to more flexibility and more profit. RFID many errors and mistake that accrued by Bar Codes such as signal required, limit number of scanned items solved .Furthermore, all the information about the products was available in any locations and was accurate. Manager easily by implementing RFID improved the supply chain process and increased customer satisfactions as Wal-Mart do. Wal-Mart is the first companies in applying RFID system.” This improvement on supply chain brings Wal-Mart billions of profit as Phillip J. Windley, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Brigham Young University, estimates that US retail giant Wal-Mart alone could save $8.35 billion annually with RFID. RFID transponder can automatically fix to the boxes and pallets in production stages. Communication between transponders and reader are fully automatic. All the product information which is on the Electronic Product Code will store on the transponders in the moments. This information immediately transfers to the central logistics merchandise management system. Any movement of product in or out of its place and also in or out of warehouse will rescored right away thus all the information are up to date. Up to 40 RFID transponder can register by a single reader less than one second.
Many existing privacy laws cover the use of data collected by RFID systems, as well as bar codes and other systems. Some U.S. states have enacted or considered enacting new laws dealing with issues particular to RFID, such as the surreptitious scanning of tags by retailers or those with criminal intent. Washington introduced HB 1031 (the Electronic Bill of Rights), imposing rules on how companies could deploy RFID and retain personal information gathered via the technology, but this bill was returned to the House Rules Committee.Michigan has created a payment incentive program to help ameliorate the cost to farmers, while still ensuring that the majority of livestock is tagged. Michigan has mandated the use of RFID tags to identify cattle, and more than a dozen other states have introduced laws limiting attempts to require RFID use for livestock. Wisconsin has no intention to mandate animal identification, but has offered an incentive program similar to Michigan's.New Hampshire's House of Representatives approved HB-203, requiring warning labels on consumer goods and identity documents containing RFID tags or other tracking devices, as well as regulating the use of RFID for tracking individuals, and establishing a commission on the use of tracking devices in government and business. The bill was sent to the N.H. Senate to be assigned a hearing committee.Most countries outside the United States have not yet passed such laws. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2093 http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3168/ , http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2093
An RFID virus is malicious code inserted into an RFID tag to alter or corrupt data in an RFID (radio frequency identification) system. The deliberate creation and spreading of this type of virus is called RFID hacking.
RFID technology, which uses tiny radio frequency (RF) transmitters and receivers to uniquely identify objects, is an increasingly popular alternative to bar code technology in supply chain management. RFID does not require direct contact or line-of-sight scanning. Instead, RFID tagging uses small transponders, called tags, for identification and tracking purposes. The total system includes:
* Transponders placed on or in objects to be identified * A set of read/write devices at security checkpoints * A host system application for data collection, processing and transmission * An identification database, also known as a back-end database
If the back-end database is altered or corrupted, an entire security network can be compromised. For example, the system may interpret a bogus tag as a valid one, allowing criminals or illegitimate cargo to bypass RFID-based security systems. Conversely, the system may fail to acknowledge valid RFID tags, causing confusion and delays in transportation systems.
There is disagreement among experts as to the actual threat posed by would-be RFID hackers. Nevertheless, RFID hacking has been carried out under controlled conditions to demonstrate the potential vulnerability.
A number of credit card companies now issue credit cards with embedded RFIDs (radio frequency ID tags), with promises of enhanced security and speedy transactions. Hacker and inventor Pablos Holman shows Xeni how you can use about $8 worth of gear bought on eBay to read personal data from those credit cards -- cardholder name, credit card number, and whatever else your bank embeds in this manner. Fears over data leaks from RFID-enabled cards aren't new, and some argue they're overblown-- but this demo shows just how cheap and easy the "sniffing" can be
Unfortunately, businesses and governments are not the only ones interested in RFID. Civil liberties groups, hackers and criminals are also keenly interested in this new development, albeit for very different reasons. Civil liberties groups are concerned about RFID technology being used to invade people's privacy; RFID tags enable unethical individuals to snoop on people and surreptitiously collect data on them without their approval or even knowledge. For example, RFID-enabled public transit tickets could allow public transit managers to compile a dossier listing all of a person's travels in the past year -- information which may be of interest to the police, divorce lawyers, and others. Following possible threats from use of RFID are listed as below: 1- Infringement of the right to privacy and data protection” Identification and profiling of a person Unnoticed remote reading without line-of-sight Use of RFID for law enforcement purposes 2- Infringement of the right to personality 3- Infringement of the right to human dignity 4- Unfair competition 5- Labor law violations In next posts I’ll try to describe these threats in a detail.
1- Security concerns - Because RFID is not a line-of-sight technology like barcoding, new security issues could develop. For example, a competitor could set up a high-gain directional antenna to scan tags in trucks going to a warehouse. From the data received, this competitor could determine flow rates of various products. Additionally, when RFID is used for high-security operations such as payment methods, fraud is always a possibility. 2- Ghost tags - In rare cases, if multiple tags are read at the same time the reader will sometimes read a tag that does not exist. Therefore, some type of read verification, such as a CRC, should be implemented in either the tag, the reader or the data read from the tag. 3- Proximity issues - RFID tags cannot be read well when placed on metal or liquid objects or when these objects are between the reader and the tag. Nearly any object that is between the reader and the tag reduces the distance the tag can be read from. 4- High cost - Because this technology is still new, the components and tags are expensive compared to barcodes. In addition, software and support personnel needed to install and operate the RFID reading systems (in a warehouse for example) may be more costly to employ. 5- Unread tags - When reading multiple tags at the same time, it is possible that some tags will not be read and there is no sure method of determining this when the objects are not in sight. This problem does not occur with barcodes, because when the barcode is scanned, it is instantly verified when read by a beep from the scanner and the data can then be entered manually if it does not scan. Vulnerable to damage - Water, static discharge or high-powered magnetic surges (such as lightning strike) may damage the tags.
RFID tags and barcodes both carry information about products. However, there are important differences between these two technologies: 1. Barcode readers require a direct line of sight to the printed barcode; RFID reader do not require a direct line of sight to either active RFID tags or passive RFID tags. 2. RFID tags can be read at much greater distances; an RFID reader can pull information from a tag at distances up to 300 feet. The range to read a barcode is much less, typically no more than fifteen feet. 3. RFID readers can interrogate, or read, RFID tags much faster; read rates of forty or more tags per second are possible. Reading barcodes is much more time-consuming; due to the fact that a direct line of sight is required, if the items are not properly oriented to the reader it may take seconds to read an individual tag. Barcode readers usually take a half-second or more to successfully complete a read. 4. Line of sight requirements also limit the ruggedness of barcodes as well as the reusability of barcodes. (Since line of sight is required for barcodes, the printed barcode must be exposed on the outside of the product, where it is subject to greater wear and tear.) RFID tags are typically more rugged, since the electronic components are better protected in a plastic cover. RFID tags can also be implanted within the product itself, guaranteeing greater ruggedness and reusability. 5. Barcodes have no read/write capability; that is, you cannot add to the information written on a printed barcode. RFID tags, however, can be read/write devices; the RFID reader can communicate with the tag, and alter as much of the information as the tag design will allow. 6. RFID tags are typically more expensive than barcodes, in some cases, much more so.
CHICAGO -- RFID is too powerful a technology and Wal-Mart and its suppliers are too cozy with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the companies to be trusted with the data gathered from radio tags on consumer goods, say a civil rights lawyer and a privacy law expert.
But the companies, led by Procter & Gamble, are opposing RFID legislation, and want consumers to allow them to keep RFID tags active after checkout, and to match shoppers' personal information with particular items.
The civil rights lawyer, Barry Steinhardt, director of the Technology and Liberty Program at the American Civil Liberties Union, spoke at the RFID Journal Live conference in Chicago last week. He said companies could use RFID tags to profile their own customers and share their information with the government -- violating the companies' own privacy policies.
Homeland Security may find the combination of live tags and customer profiles hard to resist when investigating suspected terrorists, or as a means to monitor entire groups of people, said the privacy expert.
ISTPA has developed a privacy framework that organizations can use to comply with emerging privacy laws and policies.
P&G and other companies last week suggested they want to keep RFID tags active after checkout, rather than disabling them with so-called "kill machines." The companies also want to match the unique codes emitted by RFID tags to shoppers' personal information.
RFID will make it easy for companies and government investigators to establish the whereabouts of citizens, by reading the active tags on their clothing and other items in private and public places.
Investigators in divorce cases and criminal investigations already regularly subpoena E-Z Pass automatic toll records, which come from RFID readers, to figure out where an individual's car was at a particular time.
P&G said retailers selling its goods can be trusted to guard consumers' privacy without laws, even if they decide to match their personal information with the serial numbers from the RFID tags.
"If someone selling our products violates our (RFID) privacy policies, we will stop doing business with them," said Sandra Hughes, P&G's global privacy executive.
P&G opposes laws restricting the use of RFID tags in the consumer supply chain and in retail stores, said Hughes.
But without laws preventing businesses from abusing RFID data, U.S. businesses selling RFID-tagged goods may be shut out of overseas markets, where privacy laws are more stringent.
"We have a cowboy mentality about privacy in this country," said the ACLU's Steinhardt. "But we will eventually suffer for it, because we are not complying with global norms."
Companies belonging to EPCglobal, the organization that will keep track of the serial numbers emitted by RFID tags, are counting on Americans to let them read RFID tags, even after purchase.
The companies argue that consumers with active RFID tags on their products can return those goods without a receipt. P&G's Hughes also said that active tags and shoppers' personal information could speed recalls of contaminated and defective products.
Another EPCglobal company is developing smart consumer appliances that read active RFID tags.
"Privacy is cheap," said Peter Glaser, senior manager of client workshops at Accenture Technology Labs, which is developing a smart medicine cabinet and a smart closet, which use RFID readers to encourage people to take their medicine and help them coordinate their wardrobes. "Companies just need to tell consumers what's in it for them."
The most important legal aspect of using RFID technology relates to the infringement of individual privacy rights. RFID systems have the potential to track individuals in an unprecedented manner. If tags are placed on bags, clothing, cosmetic products, or any single retail item for that matter, information about the item can be linked to the purchaser to provide a more complete consumer profile.
For example, when a RFID tag is read, information from the tag could be linked to a purchaser's financial information if the product was purchased with a credit card or loyalty card. Moreover, it is possible for a reader to read tags covertly without the consumer's knowledge. It is also possible that a reader can be set up to read tags from other stores. This means that a reader might be able to determine the contents in a consumer's purse or bag without the consumer even being aware.
Further and aside from the possibility of tracking consumers in the marketplace at anytime or anyplace, which in itself raises significant privacy concerns, RFID tags can be used to track "sensitive-type" items such as pharmaceutical products or even currency. If tags are left active, government and industry can track how you use your money, and what kinds of pharmaceuticals you take.
This presents significant legal problems as our health, financial and other types of "sensitive" information is not normally allowed to be collected, used or disclosed without our consent.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a generic term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object or person wirelessly, using radio waves. It's grouped under the broad category of automatic identification technologies.
RFID is in use all around us. If you have ever chipped your pet with an ID tag, used EZPass through a toll booth, or paid for gas using SpeedPass, you've used RFID. In addition, RFID is increasingly used with biometric technologies for security.
Unlike ubiquitous UPC bar-code technology, RFID technology does not require contact or line of sight for communication. RFID data can be read through the human body, clothing and non-metallic materials.
A basic RFID system consists of three components:
An antenna or coil
A transceiver (with decoder)
A transponder (RF tag) electronically programmed with unique information
Current and Potential Uses of RFID :
Manufacturing RFID has been used in manufacturing plants for more than a decade. It's used to track parts and work in process and to reduce defects, increase throughput and manage the production of different versions of the same product.
Supply Chain Management RFID technology has been used in closed loop supply chains or to automate parts of the supply chain within a company's control for years.
As standards emerge, companies are increasingly turning to RFID to track shipments among supply chain partners.
Payment Systems RFID is all the rage in the supply chain world, but the technology is also catching on as a convenient payment mechanism. One of the most popular uses of RFID today is to pay for road tolls without stopping. These active systems have caught on in many countries, and quick service restaurants are experimenting with using the same active RFID tags to pay for meals at drive-through windows.
Security and Access Control RFID has long been used as an electronic key to control who has access to office buildings or areas within office buildings. The first access control systems used low-frequency RFID tags
