Biometric RFID Future Scenarios

RFID Future Identification Scenario

Future scenarios discussed using RFID and other identification technologies. ...

Metro RFID Starter Packs

METRO Group will ramp up its use of radio frequency identification (RFID) this year and has approved Intermec RFID starter packs. ...

... "Metro has approved two Intermec RFID starter packs, specially tailored to the needs of the consumer goods industry, which will be offered to its suppliers. The preconfigured application contained in the packs makes it possible to easily fit pallets and boxes with RFID tags. Both RFID starter packs contain an Intermec PM4i RFID-enabled printer and SF51 Bluetooth bar code scanner. In addition, the second expanded option also contains an Intermec RFID portal for full recording of incoming and outgoing goods. The partnership between the two companies has its roots in the use of the Intermec RFID system in the METRO Group Future Store Initiative, the METRO Group RFID Innovation Center and the RFID introduction in November 2004. " ...

Via Intermec: Metro Starter Packs

Honda RFID Assemply Line: Critical Component Traceability

Honda Italia partners with IBM to implement RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology and infrastructure in production processes at its plant located in Atessa, Italy. The solution will enable Honda Italy to increase efficiency and accuracy in managing its motorcycle production in Italy. ...

... "IBM Global Business Services will support Honda Italia in the design and development of the RFID implementation, which will enable the real time, automatic identification of each vehicle along the entire production chain. The RFID tags will also be used on micro-lots of critical components, such as engines. IBM business and technology consultants have been collaborating for a long time with Honda Italia engineers in the design of the new processes and in the identification of the best solution. The RFID technology will be then completely integrated with Honda's existing IT systems through an open standards-based, Linux and Java (J2EE) application built on the IBM WebSphere Application Server to track inventory and to monitor ways to improve efficiency.



The first phase of the project, completed earlier this year, simultaneously with the celebration of the 35th anniversary of Honda Italia, calls for the transformation of Honda's large-displacement bikes (Hornet 600, CBF1000/600/500) assembly line. The RFID tags were used to monitor the traceability of critical components, WIP (Work In Progress) management and inventory replenishment. In the future, RFID tags will also be applied to Honda's scooter production line, starting with the European best seller SH150i/125i and the bigger SH300i. " ...

Via IBM: Honda Italia and IBM Revolutionize Motorbike Production With RFID: Innovation Project at Honda's Plant in Italy Expected to Improve Efficiency and Accuracy ...

Secure RFID through Partnership

SkyeTek and Atmel will partner to create secure HF reader and tag platforms for the RFID market. ...

... "The partnership between Atmel and SkyeTek will provide customers with an ultra-secure option for embedded RFID applications. Resulting solutions leverage CryptoRF's security features and the enterprise-class reliability and price-performance of the SkyeTek ReaderDNA and ReaderWare technology. This combination will provide customers with the ability to adapt RFID technology into existing applications and is well positioned to provide valuable solutions addressing ePedigree, patient safety, consumables authentication, item-level inventory management, and ticketing. SkyeTek's ReaderWare also provides the capability to upgrade the reader to support future tags, protocols, and cryptography via a firmware upgrade. " ...

Via SkyeTek: SkyeTek and Atmel Partner to Offer Industry Leading Secure RFID Technology ...

RFID Metal Packaging Works as Antenna

QinetiQ and Crown collaborate to develop adaptation of QinetiQ's Omni-ID Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for use on metal packaging. The improvements will enable RFID tags at the unit-level on metal items. Technology advancement is expected to integrate the metal substrate as part of the RFID tag's antenna. ...

... "This will enable brand owners to integrate ultra high frequency (UHF) RFID tags into metal packaging for a wide variety of applications at the single item level. Designed to mitigate issues such as signal reflection, detuning and grounding which reduce or negate RFID's effectiveness on metal packaging or with aqueous-based products, the unique technology leverages several of metal's inherent properties and shifts the format into an advantageous position.

QinetiQ's standalone Omni-ID tags and integrated Omni-ID packaging technology allows a UHF tag to be mounted directly onto the metal substrate. Measuring substantially less than 1mm in thickness, the unique Omni-ID structure collects and focuses RF energy and enables highly efficient coupling to the chip. Another advantage of the system is that RFID chips require only a short coupling antenna rather than the large dipole usually incorporated in UHF tags, significantly reducing manufacturing costs. Crown and QinetiQ are continuing development of the technology for metal packaging to further optimize design. In the near future, it is expected that the metal substrate itself will have an integral role in the way the technology functions. Using a beverage or food can as an example, the can itself would serve as the antenna, simplifying production of the RFID tag and further reducing costs. " ...

Via Qinetiq: Crown teams up with QinetiQ to resolve challenges of RFID on metal packaging ...

RFID Nano-Battery Technology

mPhase Technologies plans to reinvent the design of batteries, that power portable electronic devices, freeing us from the fire-hazards of lithium ion batteries, ie. the ones that catch fire in laptop computers. mPhase is creating the Smart Nanobattery, which is a radical approach to energy storage using nanograss.

... "The company is developing a battery for potential use in consumer commerce and security applications like active RFID Radio Frequency ID tags; " ...

Via mPhase Tech: mPhase Technologies To Continue Its Development Of A Radical Improvement In Battery Technology Superior To Current Designs ...

Sirit RFID: Revenue Increasing

Sirit sees RFID revenue increasing and it is positioned to capitalize on future RFID market growth. ...

... "Radio Frequency Solutions (RFS) related revenue represents 27% or $1.4 million of total revenue, a 180% increase over prior year reported revenue of $0.5 million. Sirit remains one of the few companies with significant, real world RFID experience with over 330,000 RFID readers deployed around the world. As supply chain adoption hovers on the horizon, our solid and profitable AVI business becomes an important differentiator among our peers, noted Anastasia Chodarcewicz, Chief Financial Officer, Sirit Inc. With continued focus on top line growth and bottom line cost controls, we believe that we should achieve a cash flow neutral position by the end of next year. " ...

Via Sirit: Sirit Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter ...

RFID Smart Logistics

The future of logistics involves RFID smart cargo ...

... "First, it will be intelligent, or smart, meaning that it can provide detailed information about its location and the condition of its cargo at all times, through the use of RFID. " ...

Via ITPBusiness: Link

RFID Future: Syscan Invests ...

Syscan announces full-year financial results which are disappointing. Yet, the company is optimistic about its future as it invests in RFID agricultural applications. ...

... "Research and Development expenses grew to $765,415 from $308,797, an increase of 148% as RFID based application development was accelerated in preparation for commercialization. At the end of the year, working capital stood at $906,578 and there was no bank debt. Mr. Axel Striefler, President and CEO of Syscan said: Fiscal 2006 was a difficult year for the Company as demand for our rugged mobile printers declined significantly due to competition from smaller, less expensive thermal printers. Nevertheless we have made tremendous strides with our RFID applications which represent the future of the Company. We are looking forward to strong growth in 2007 as we commercialize our solutions in the food, pharmaceutical and military sectors. We are particularly excited about the forthcoming implementation of our RFID based solutions in conjunction with Quebec's mandated agricultural traceability programs across the province. " ...

Via MarketWire: Syscan Releases 2006 Results

Printed RFID Tags: Near Future?

Printed RFID tags to enable low-cost item level tagging may be within reach. ...

... "While a printed RFID tag will never be as inexpensive as a bar code - since bar codes require only one color of a conventional ink that may already be used to produce product packaging - printed RFID tags would bring item-level tagging to a wide range of products that, today, are economically out of reach. " ...

Via AIM: RFID: Objects in the Future May Be Closer Than They Appear ...

RFID Seamless Mobility: Moto Acquires Mobile Technology Leader, Symbol ...

Motorola makes strategic acquisition of wounded-prey Symbol Technologies with an eye towards the convergence of digital and mobility as an engine for future growth. ...

... "Symbol is a leader in designing, developing, manufacturing and servicing products and systems used in end-to-end enterprise mobility solutions featuring rugged mobile computing, advanced data capture, radio frequency identification (RFID), wireless infrastructure and mobility management. The company's products and services help customers increase workforce productivity, improve customer service and enhance operational efficiencies by delivering information in real-time, as people, information and assets are on-the-move. " ...

Via Moto: Motorola to Expand Enterprise Capabilities Through Acquisition of Symbol Technologies ...

RFID Research: Sensor Networks: IBM Consortium ...

IBM consortium wins contract to support the research and development of RFID wireless sensor networks to enable military operations. ...

... "The United States Army Research Laboratory and United Kingdom Ministry of Defence have selected an IBM-led consortium, the newly formed International Technology Alliance (ITA) in Network and Information Sciences, to undertake a research program exploring advanced technology for secure wireless and sensor networks to support future coalition operations, over a potential 10 year period, with a value of up to $135.8 million. Successful future military operations will depend on the capability of coalition forces to quickly gather, interpret and share battlefield information to coordinate actions, so the research will enable interoperability and communications across disparate military units, allowing them to operate more effectively. This Alliance represents a new way of conducting collaborative research by fostering close partnerships among government, academic, and industry researchers in both countries. The ITA creates a critical mass of private sector and government researchers focused on solving military technology challenges central to future coalition military operations; enabling staff rotations among all organizations in the Alliance; and facilitating rapid and affordable transition of technologies with an innovative transition model. " ...

Via IBM: IBM-Led Consortium Wins Ground-Breaking Transatlantic Defense Research Agreement ...

RFID Security: NSF Funds Smart Tag Research ...

National Science Foundation, NSF, provides funding to increase the privacy and security of RFID smart tags, through better cryptographics.

... "Strengthened security for smart tags - the wireless devices that allow drivers to zip through automatic tollbooths or pass a security desk with the flash of a card - is the aim of a new initiative that has received $1.1 million from the National Science Foundation. Led by Kevin Fu of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the researchers are developing much-needed cryptographic protocols, hardware and applications for the increasingly common devices. Millions of consumers already use smart tags—wireless devices that use radio waves to identify and authenticate people and things - and they will become more numerous, says Fu.



Smart tags - which include Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags—are already used to track items from library books to merchandise to cattle. Increasingly, they are replacing the magnetic stripe cards used in security badges and mass transit cards, sometimes also serving as electronic cash. The tags will soon be incorporated into documents such as passports; their use is being explored for tracking medical records and prison inmates. But the tags, which also include contactless smart cards and low-resource sensors, are a technology that has crept in from the edge of the Internet and they present new challenges in terms of security and privacy issues, says Fu.

The unique environment presented by smart tags - they can operate without human intervention and without a physically connected power source - presents unique security concerns, says Fu. Smart tags automatically respond to the device that reads them, so human users don't have the traditional means of giving or denying consent to the reader. This infrastructure of untrusted readers and tags requires an approach that preserves privacy while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that the tags offer.

The new consortium, dubbed the RFID ConsortiUm for Security and Privacy (RFID-CUSP), takes these operating conditions into account and is designing new cryptographic definitions, algorithms and models that will lay the solid foundation on which secure applications can be built. As part of their project, the researchers are working with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The project will result in the first completely open, publicly available software for experimenting with RFID security and privacy. " ...

UMass Amherst: UMass Amherst-Led Research Will Protect Consumers by Ramping Up Security for Smart Tags

Kevin Fu: "Open cryptanalysis of existing RFID protocols will give assurance in the soundness of reliable RFID technology. At UMass, we are investigating how to build secure RFID-based systems. "

The Sensor Revolution: Industry & Commerce: "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stands among the fastest-proliferating sensor technologies. RFID systems combine electromagnetic sensing with radio communications. RFID tags and interrogators can be used to track inventory in a warehouse or collect tolls from moving cars. "

Understanding Contactless Smart Card Technologies and Some of the Leading Reader/Card Product Providers (PDF): "That transmission could then be replayed to a reader to gain access illicitly at some time in the future. In contrast, today’s secure contactless cards and readers (such as XceedID ISO-X and HID iCLASS) employ a myriad of cryptographic techniques. These techniques encrypt data in ways that render it useless to an illicit user. Thus, traditional proximity cards and readers provide inferior communication security when compared to secure contactless smart cards and readers. "

RFID Oracle EdgeServer Success ...

Noel SA, South American CPG company, successfully uses Oracle RFID edge services to understand the application of RFID to logistics business processes. ...

... "Noel SA used RFID-enabled Oracle Warehouse Management (WMS), part of the Oracle E-Business Suite, as the logistics platform for the pilot, which included tagging 2,000 pallets of Ducales cookies that were sent to the distribution center in Medell? Colombia. Noel SA used Oracle Sensor Edge Server, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware, to connect and manage all the devices on the RFID system, including tag printers and readers. Data captured from the system was processed by Oracle WMS and synchronized with the Oracle enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. Each pallet received a passive RFID tag, which included important order information such as the lot number and product expiration date.



The RFID-tagged pallets were read throughout the supply chain from the production floor to the final distribution center to ensure proper delivery of orders. Once the pallet arrived at the distribution center of Medell? it was read again to reconcile the sales order and fulfillment information held in the Oracle order management system. At the conclusion of the pilot, Noel SA uncovered that the bar code process prior to the RFID pilot was being executed incorrectly, rendering inventory and shipment data inaccurate. Noel SA gained valuable visibility into its operations such as inventory management and order fulfillment using RFID. The company plans to begin the roll out of a full-scale RFID system in the future. " ...

Via Oracle: Noel SA Successfully Completes RFID Pilot Based on Oracle Solutions

Hospital RFID Applications Discussed ...

MIT Forum will discuss RFID applications in the hospital. ...

... "RFID in the Hospital
Monday June 12, 2006
6:30 - 6:45 Networking & Light Snack
6:45 - 7:45 Panel Presentation
7:45 - 8:30 p.m. Q & A
Location:
Stata Center (Bldg. 32)
Room 124, 1st floor
32 Vassar Street
Cambridge, MA 02139 MAP

In addition to manufacturing and retail marketing, healthcare is considered the next home for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Although in its early stages, RFID technology has great potential in the hospitals to significantly reduce cost, improve patient safety and deliver medical services. Imagine the hospital of the future where unnecessary expenses will be cut and more patient lives will be saved. " ...

Via MIT EF: RFID SIG ...

RFID: Internet of Things Workshop ...

Interesting RFID workshop looks to expand the potential of RFID application through consideration of future possibilities when things are connected to the internet. ...

... "RFID will play a pivotal role in fusing the physical world with the digital. RFID allows for the unique identification of objects, and any kind of online data can be linked to these unique ID's. Here is where the real world and the internet become two faces of the same reality. Things go online.

The participants of this workshop will develop scenarios for an internet of things. Ideas can range from scripts for small new rituals to outlines of societal changes of epic scale. The critical, utopian or nightmarish scenarios will be informed by lectures with concrete knowledge about currently available technology; by handy workshop tools that give hands-on experience in developing RFID applications, and by insightful presentations by cutting-edge makers and thinkers.

The workshop takes 3 days. The morning sessions are dedicated to lectures and presentations on technology, theory and interesting implementations of RFID. The afternoons are dedicated to development of participants projects. The workshop will take place in the seminar room of Mediamatic, at the 5th floor of the PostCS building. " ...

RFID: Internet of Things Workshop: Via Mediamatic.net: RFID & the Internet of Things ...

RFID Hospital: Blood Tracking ...

IBM collaborates with Japan hospital to track blood samples using RFID technology. ...

... "At the Kyoto Medical Center, under the new project, RFID tags were attached to dummy samples of plasma derivatives (about 50 units) and successfully traced. Using these RFID tags, information on the distribution and use history of the products - from the pharmaceutical manufacturer via the wholesalers to the medical institutions through to use - can be shared (federated), and the basis for a tracking mechanism can be established. In the future, multiple users, beyond the boundaries of individual industries, can make use of this kind of historical information to provide a system for enabling safe medical care. IBM Japan has built a distributed information system for seamless operation of RFID tags, while protecting a variety of highly classified medical information, such as personal information. Moreover, from the point of view of privacy, it has become possible to provide access control technology, which strictly limits access to the database and displays only the information necessary for the business at hand in systems used by multiple businesses or departments. " ...

RFID Hospital: Blood Tracking: Via IBM: Japan's first RFID tag drug-shipment-to-in-hospital medication traceability successfully demonstrated ...

RFID Supply Chain Future ...

RFID has future in the secure global supply chain ...

... "Assuring that your suppliers are handling your cargo in a secure way will require greater visibility into the supply chain. Someday, this will be done through RFID, smart containers and other emerging technologies. " ...

Peering Into Your Supply Chain: Via CSOonline ...

RFID Lab Smart Tag Life-Cycle ...

RFID lab receives RFID reader gift to enable full life-cycle tests of smart tags. ...

... "Radio Frequency Identification technology, silicon-embedded smart tags, is generally expected to be used right alongside Universal Product Codes as an enhancement to product tracking capabilities for the foreseeable future. Indiana University's Kelley School of Business was the first U.S. business school to create a working RFID educational model or lab two years ago. The recent gift of an RFID printer from Zebra Technologies will allow the Kelley School's undergraduate and graduate students to model the complete life cycle of a tag. " ...

RFID Lab Smart Tag Life-Cycle: Via IU: IU's Kelley School receives gift from Zebra Technologies for RFID lab