RFID

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is everywhere. It’s what allows drivers to pay their tolls without stopping their cars. It provides libraries with a way to track books. It gives retailers an opportunity to manage their inventory and provides pet owners with a way to keep tabs on their favorite, four-legged, furry family members. Some consider this a breakthrough technology while others consider it another surveillance tool in Big Brother’s chest. Whatever side a person falls on, RFID is here to stay and will continue to extend its reach into other areas.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., IDTechEx provides custom consulting, research and advisory services to help develop businesses in key areas. The organization recently released a new report: RFID Forecasts, Players and Opportunities 2008-2018. Using new, unique information researched globally by IDTechEx technical experts, the report analyses the RFID market in many different ways, and features more than 120 helpful tables and figures. They include detailed 10-year projections for EPC vs. non-EPC, high value niche markets, active vs. passive readers, markets by frequency, markets by geographical region, label vs. non label, chip vs. chipless, markets by application, tag format and tag location. Cumulative sales of

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based IDTechEx provides custom consulting, research and advisory services to help develop businesses in the areas of printed electronics, RFID, photovoltaics and smart packaging. IDTechEx gives strictly independent marketing, technical and business advice and services on these subjects in three forms - consulting, research and events. During the Active RFID, RTLS & Sensor Networks conference in Dallas, Nov. 5-6 at the Sheraton Dallas hotel, IDTechEx will premier a unique, key market research report co-authored by Dr. Peter Harrop and Raghu Das on the subject of Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN), sometimes known as the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). It is

Cincinnati-based Schober USA unveiled its RFID-CP—an ideal solution for medium and small label runs using preprinted, heavy-label stock. The new technology inserts UHF and HF inlays under die-cut blank or preprinted labels and validates the finished product. Control and monitoring is accomplished through the new pendant station which houses an industrial PC. Additional features of the cost-effective RFID solution include a new tag dispenser with web tension relief, strategically placed start/stop buttons, greater information gathering capabilities and optional static discharge protection. The proven technology works with transponders in accordance with ISO specifications, in widths from 20 mm to 80 mm and lengths from 20

It’s tricky dealing in the technology-enabled card market today. The products are becoming more and more sophisticated and specialized, and the distributors selling them have to follow suit. Here is a brief glossary, courtesy of the Smart Card Alliance, Princeton Junction, N.J., of some perhaps less familiar types of cards currently in play: • Cryptographic smart cards—Equipped with specialized cryptographic hardware that allows algorithms such as RSA, these advanced smart cards are often used for digital signatures and secure identification. • Memory card—Typically a smart card or any pocket-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit or circuits containing non-volatile memory storage components, and

True or false: Smart cards are the same as RFID cards. The correct answer is false, although many people use the terms synonymously. Headquartered in Princeton Junction, N.J., the Smart Card Alliance (SCA) is a not-for-profit association working to promote understanding and widespread application of the technology. Randy Vanderhoof, executive director, acknowledged the tendency to categorize contactless smart card technology as RFID causes confusion and complicates efforts to educate the marketplace. “It has become a large market with diverse products and capabilities. There is no singular definition that satisfies all the different technical variations, form factors and uses,” he observed. What’s What RFID uses

Michael Phelps wasn’t the only headline maker at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In fact, the arguable unsung hero of the games, ensuring attendees from around the globe were able to cheer on their respective homeland, was a mere 0.3 square millimeter chip boasting 50 microns in thickness. It is known in the industry as the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip. According to the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, more than 16 million tickets were embedded with RFID chips, marking the technology’s first-ever appearance in the Olympic Games. The goal: to prevent the occurrence of counterfeit door tickets, thereby simplifying the event ticket

The NA 2008 Show, sponsored by The Material Handling Industry of America, occurred April 21-24 at Cleveland’s I-X Center, featuring manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, logistics and IT solutions for the supply chain. During the show, Tom Park, CTO for Rath Information Systems, Bellefontaine, Ohio, and Scott Silver, owner of Midwest Sales and Marketing, Springfield, Ohio, updated attendees on the latest RFID software and monitoring product developments from their partner, Analytica (www.analytica-usa.com/rath). Following are highlights of their report. Any application of RFID needs to result in obvious business benefits. The last few years have seen several developments that have sped up the adoption of this technology:

Approximately 3,300 attendees from around the world walked the exhibit hall during RFID Journal LIVE! 2008, held April 16-18 at the Venetian in Las Vegas, where more than 170 vendors showcased real-world applications for leveraging the benefits of radio frequency identification. One exhibitor was Tipp City, Ohio-based Repacorp, whose RFID solutions include both paper and synthetic labels and tags. Rochelle Heinl, manager, RFID business development, graciously found time between speaking with distributors and end-users crowding the booth to provide Print Professional with a status report. “There’s been a tremendous amount of interest; most people are seriously shopping for solutions and plan to move forward

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., IDTechEx specializes in printed electronics, RFID and smart packaging, providing strictly independent marketing, technical and business advice and services on these subjects. Raghu Das, CEO/MD of IDTechEx, has been closely involved with the development of RFID and printed electronics for more than six years. Following are highlights from his report on how RFID use grew in the marketplace during 2007. In round figures, the value of the RFID market grew strongly to $5 billion in 2007, mainly powered by a peak in deliveries of the Chinese national ID card, with about $2 billion of cards and infrastructure being delivered