Michelangelo RFID

New Prosthetic Hand: "Unlike similar models that allowed gripping with just the thumb and one or two fingers, the i-LIMB allows a user to grab something with all five. "

RFID Transponder, Inlay Perform in Industrial Environment

Texas Instruments introduces the 12 mm Multi-Usage Wedge Transponder and 24 mm LF Circular Inlay to deliver improved performance in highly metallic and harsh industrial environments. ...

... "The 12 mm Multi-Usage Wedge Transponder offers improvements in chip circuitry that enable direct-on-metal mounting. The 24 mm LF Circular Inlay, manufactured using TI's patented tuning process, provides improved consistency in read and write performance in applications such as waste management and industrial production. The tags incorporate a number of TI's patented RFID technology and quality innovations including half-duplex (HDX) radio communication. HDX boosts read range by 50 percent compared with full-duplex (FDX) LF and offers a stronger RF signal because the HDX reader shuts down during the HDX tag's response. This allows the HDX reader to concentrate on receiving the signal thereby obtaining an accurate read as compared to FDX. In FDX systems, the reader signal remains on and may create RF interference as it attempts to read the FDX tag. HDX also features frequency shift keying technology which makes TI's tags more immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and other ambient environmental noise, allowing the reader to effectively read and differentiate tags that are close together. " ...

Via TI: RFID Asset Visibility in Harsh and Metallic Environments

RFID Innovation Success and Leadership

ODIN is recognized as an innovation factory by RFID Switchboard and its leadership in the industry will be showcased in the Top 20 Innovators Magazine. ...

... "Innovation has been the key to client success with RFID. In 2008 after living through this new wave of RFID we have learned that there are indeed some companies that stand out from the pack. There is no doubt that ODIN technologies is a leader of the pack when it comes to RFID, innovation and client success, commented Andy Kowl the publisher of the Top 20 Innovators Award. They have also shown their commitment to increasing knowledge for future RFID adopters. " ...

Via ODIN technologies: Top RFID innovator

RFID Connector Integrates to SAP and Microsoft

HP introduces Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) software that integrates with RFID solutions from SAP AG and Microsoft enabling supply chain visibility. The company also created an innovation lab for research and development of RFID technology in partnership with Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). ...

... "HP introduced the HP Connector Solution for use with SAP applications and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2. The solution enables customers to link RFID devices to crucial supply chain and asset tracking applications. " ...

Via HP: RFID Adoption through New Solution and Innovation Lab

RFID Security Memory Cells

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have invented a cheap and efficient means to secure for radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The innovation uses variations in the RFID tag memory cells to secure information. ...

... "RFID tags are already used in countless identification and tracking methods, such as passports and inventory control. A common use of these devices is in access control systems, such as corporate or government ID cards, that allow access to buildings and rooms through a tiny radio frequency transmitter. Embedded in these tags are passive systems that respond automatically to electromagnetic fields produced by radio antennas trying to read the tags' memory. This technology, while convenient, can be susceptible to breaches in security; for example, credit cards that use RFID technology are vulnerable to thieves who, with the appropriate equipment, can read information from the card without the victim ever taking it out of a pocket. The team's new security method uses the concept of random numbers, which are used to encrypt data sent by the tags so that each message transmitted is unique. Machines with the right hardware and software, such as your desktop computer, can easily produce a string of random numbers; however, the tiny circuitry of a matchbook-sized RFID tag isn't built for that function. The UMass Amherst researchers' work eliminates the need for specific machinery dedicated to the task. Using specialized software, the tag readers will be able to extract unique data from the tags’ existing hardware. " ...

Via University Massachusets at Amherst: Researchers Improve Security for Credit Cards and Other Devices

RFID Role in Commerce - Event in October

RFID Solutions event will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. ...

... "Join senior government officials and business leaders for RFID Solutions: Securing the Commerce of Tomorrow co-hosted by the National Chamber Foundation and SAP. This important event will discuss the most promising security-related RFID applications, the balance between regulation and innovation, and responsible approaches to key issues. " ...

Via RegOnline: RFID Securing the Commerce of Tomorrow

Alien RFID Squiggle Tags

Alien Technology expands its portfolio of Alien Squiggle EPC Gen 2 RFID tags by introducing two new form factors for case and item-level tracking that are smaller and higher performance. ...

... "Alien Squiggle: The Squiggle (ALN-9540), the most versatile member of Alien's family, delivers industry leading range, reliability and price for a broad range of traditional pallet and case uses as well as innovative new RFID applications. The Squiggle tag outperforms other tags in leading benchmark studies, including the recent EECC UHF Tag Performance Survey. " ...

Via Alien Technology: Two Additions to Its Squiggle(R) Portfolio of EPC Gen 2 Tags

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

RFID Module Innovation Awarded

SkyeTek wins the EDN 17th Annual Innovation Award in the Computers, Boards, and Buses category for its M9 SkyeModule. The M9 is half the size of a business card and is targeted to item-level inventory, product authentication, and patron management. ...

... "Based on SkyeTek's Advanced Universal Reader Architecture (AURA), the M9 leads the RFID industry in UHF reader price-performance and meets regulatory compliance requirements for the world's major markets including North America, Europe (ETSI 302 208), Korea, and Japan. The M9's ReaderWare Embedded software stack allows application logic, policies, and advanced security to be executed on the reader allowing unprecedented levels of intelligence to be delivered to the products in which the M9 gets embedded. This award is the second distinction for SkyeTek in the past week. On March 29, SkyeTek's customer ADASA was announced the winner of CMP's Excellence in RFID Technology Award for its SkyeTek-enabled PAD3500, a low-cost, wearable mobile encoder that supports the encoding of UHF RFID tags anywhere. " ...

Via SkyeTek: M9 RFID Reader Module Wins Electronic Design News 17th Annual Innovation Award

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 ...

RFID Retail Solutions POS

Tally partners to RFID-enable the retail shopping experience. It will leverage the strengths of AVAAN for integration of RFID technology into the point-of-sale process. This positions Tally in the high-growth segments of the retail industry. ...

... "Tally announced its alliance with AVAANA, an Innovation and Integration Services Company focused on the high growth RFID market. The Tally-AVAANA alliance is to RFID-enable Tally Products and establishes AVAANA as Tally's Preferred RFID partner. AVAANA will be providing the RFID enablement for the TallyShoper Retail POS (Point-Of-Sale) of India's largest product software company. This targets the high-growth Retail industry. This will also be deployed in an upcoming industry RFID pilot. RFID is a data collection technology that provides suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and distributors with up-to-the-minute supply chain visibility, from inventory and logistics to freshness dates. RFID is powerful because it provides a unique identifying serial number to each and every item, unlike bar codes that typically have a unique number for a set of similar items. " ...

Via Tally Solutions: TALLY and AVAANA sign MOU for RFID As Tally's Preferred RFID Partner, AVAANA's RFID technology enables Shoper for Retail industry ...

RFID Medical Record Army System ...

3M will implement RFID-enabled medical record system for the US Army that support their operational efficiency objectives and increase the quality of services through reduced errors. ...

... "3M has been awarded a $3.76 million contract to develop and install a system that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track medical files at the U.S. Army's massive Fort Hood Installation in Texas. The system is expected to make a positive impact on operational efficiencies in health care delivery, the troop deployment process and the management of medical data collection. The active medical records of more than 150,000 servicemen and women and their dependents are housed at five sites at Fort Hood, and as many as 70,000 files may be in use at the base's six clinics during the course of a month.



The RFID system is intended to substantially reduce errors and inefficiencies associated with manual tracking, retrieval, filing and file merging methods. The tracking of Army medical records through RFID technology is an innovation led by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), a unit of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). Fort Hood, situated about 60 miles north of Austin, the state capital, is the nation's largest active duty domestic military installation, occupying some 340 square miles. The Army becomes the third federal entity to employ RFID systems from 3M, following similar decisions recently by the Tax Division of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Tax Court. Unlike the other applications, however, the system in development for the Army requires higher-performance capability and a greater degree of continuous and automatic tracking of the files. " ...

Via 3M: United States Army Awards Contract to 3M for Pilot RFID Program To Track and Manage Medical Records at Fort Hood ...

RFID Shelf Edge Management ...

Vue, Pricer, and IBM collaborate to deliver RFID technology that supports shelf edge management. ...

... "Vue Technology, the leading provider of item level RFID solutions, and Pricer AB, the leading supplier of electronic display and information systems, announced that they have collaborated with IBM to provide retailers with a breakthrough solution for RFID enabled shelf edge management. The new solution leverages real time item level data collected via RFID to expand the use of electronic shelf labels (ESLs) beyond static price and stock displays. The new innovation will be on display in IBM's booth at the Retail Systems 2006 Conference & Exposition, May 22-24. The shelf-edge management solution enables retailers to consistently deliver the right item level inventory information to their store associates and customers; and for suppliers it is an opportunity to ensure that their new products are not sitting in the store back room. Through the integration of Vue Technology's TrueVUE RFID Platform, Pricer's integrated ESL solution, and IBM's Store Integration Framework, retailers can now cost effectively deploy a seamless solution for item-level inventory tracking and shelf-level management. Displaying critical retail store information directly at the shelf edge enhances the overall customer experience while reducing out-of-stocks and increasing sales.

With critical item level retail information now available at the shelf edge, through the integration of RFID and ESL technology via IBM's Store Integration Framework, sales associates can quickly and efficiently identify exact inventory needs and expedite restocking while business operations staff can remotely monitor inventory levels across stores and generate critical inventory alerts. At the same time, the TrueVUE RFID Platform provides visibility for the IT operations staff to remotely monitor and maintain the RFID network. " ...

RFID Shelf Edge Management: Via Vue Technology: Vue Technology and Pricer AB Team with IBM to Deliver Breakthrough in Shelf Edge Management for Retail ...

RFID: RealTime Promotion Execution

OatSystems and ADT combine to deliver a real-time promotion execution process, enabled by RFID technology. RFID applied to the execution of promotions, help track the inventory used in promotions in real-time and create immediate feedback for marketers. ...

... "OATSystems, Inc. and ADT, a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, announced a proof of ROI program designed to validate the return on investment from standards-based RFID-enabled promotions and ignite the next phase of RFID deployments. Together with Intel Corporation, the companies will provide RFID hardware, software and services necessary for a 10 store retail deployment to help retailers track promotional products and provide critical information back to suppliers such as Proctor & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark. To help validate the ROI, an independent academic institution of the retailer's choosing will establish the parameters of the study, monitor control stores and deliver a final report on the ROI.

Trade promotion spending by manufacturers is a massive budget item, representing 12%-15% of sales for most companies. Unfortunately, study after study and the day-to-day experiences of manufacturers and retailers show that the returns on trade promotions are far less than satisfactory. Real-time Promotion Execution (RPE) is a new, RFID-centric business process that can help consumer products manufacturers and retailers to dramatically increase promotion effectiveness which may result in increased promotional sales, decreased execution costs, and greater shopper satisfaction. According to Cheryl Perkins, senior vice president and chief innovation officer for Kimberly-Clark, RFID technology can be used as a business tool to help deliver greater value to K-C and its retail customers.

RPE uses RFID-tagged displays and promotion product cases to measure in-store promotion execution by tracking where and when the displays and promotion inventory are in the store. Manufacturers and retailers can track when the items reach the store, when they're moved to the sales floor, and how long they are there - all in near-real time. This information is then integrated across many stores and manipulated with powerful analytic tools. Illustrated by the recently released MIT study on RFID-based promotions, this enables a new business process that is cost-effective and dramatically increases promotion sell-through, correction of poor in-store execution and promotion intelligence, and lowers the cost of promotions management. " ...

Via OATSystems: OATSystems and ADT Announce Promotions-on-Standards Program to Ignite RFID ROI: Leaders Rally Retailers and Suppliers to Validate ROI in Standards-Based Real-time Promotions Execution ...

Global RFID Partner Symposium ...

Upcoming RFID symposium ...

... "The RFID Global Partnering Symposium is an international market network, connecting RFID vendors and start-ups with: new market opportunities; alliance partners; investment funding; research establishments and technology innovators. " ...

Via Global RFID Partnering Symposium

The World's RFID Vendor Community to Gather at the RFID Global Partnering Symposium 2006: "As the international RFID sector develops, hundreds of companies are now seeking to establish and develop their market position. With innovative technology, new players, new partnerships and new business models creating business opportunities across many geographical markets and vertical industry sectors, the RFID Global Partnering Symposium, announced today, will bring together the global RFID vendor community and vendor start-ups to discuss new market opportunities, alliance partnering, investment funding, research establishment and technological innovation. Taking place over two days, the 24th and 25th May 2006 at the Olympia 2 Conference Centre in London, the RFID Global Partnering Symposium promises to be the premier meeting place for RFID vendors, VARS, system Integrators, distributors, resellers and consultants to make the contacts and forge the relationships that will bring RFID systems and services to market. "

RFID Food Packaging ...

Food packaging innovation continues ...

... "Tiny RFID chips on packaging receive and send radio transmissions that can be used to track packages and, opponents say, consumers as well. " ...

RFID Food Packaging: Via JS Online: Taking high tech to the next shelf

Hospital RFID Asset Management ...

PanGo's RFID technology to be used for hospital asset management ...

... "PanGo's turnkey location management solution includes an intuitive end-user application for asset monitoring and reporting, true Wi-Fi active-RFID tags and a location management platform that integrates location data into third-party and custom healthcare and business applications. PanGo Locator is the only active RFID solution available today that leverages any Wi-Fi access point infrastructure as its reader network, eliminating the need for a separate and costly overlay of proprietary hardware and wiring. Implementation Scheduled at El Camino Hospital: The IT leadership at El Camino Hospital, a full-service acute care facility, is recognized throughout the industry for a vision that consistently sets new standards in leveraging innovation. The team turned to long-time information solutions partner Eclipsys for new ways to boost response time and improve efficiency using El Camino Hospital�s existing Wi-Fi network. A wireless networking team from Eclipsys will lead the implementation of PanGo's active-RFID technology, scheduled to begin in March. " ...

Hospital RFID Asset Management: Via PanGo Networks, Inc: Eclipsys and PanGo Form Strategic Partnership to Deliver Advanced Radio Frequency Identification Solutions to Healthcare Organizations: Partners Sign El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA as First Customer ...

Active RFID: Temperature Monitoring ...

LogicaCMG combines temperature sensing and active RFID technology to perform condition monitoring ...

... "One of the demonstrations focuses on a project LogicaCMG deployed for the Norwegian high speed train operator, FlytoGet. The system monitors the wheel bearing temperature and alerts the maintenance department if wheel temperatures rise too fast or exceed a pre-defined temperature level. This prevents wheel bearings from overheating and wheels from blocking thus avoiding consequential damage on infrastructure, axels and bearings. LogicaCMG fitted the wheel bearings with a temperature sensor combined with an active RFID tag and installed readers on all the wagons. The Radio Frequency reader and the GPS and GSM/GPRS communication facilities allow the wireless exchange of information and the remote monitoring of the temperature of each wheel bearing. Another functionality is the tracking and tracing of the position and routing of trains in real-time. This project is an excellent example for LogicaCMG's solutions which are tailored for customers needs and integrate different technologies to address them. " ...

Active RFID: Temperature Monitoring: Via LogicaCMG: LogicaCMG showcases transport innovation at Eurorail 2006 ...

Use Gen2 RFID for Pilots Starting Now ...

With EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 radio frequency identification (RFID) products reaching the market, Zebra Technologies shares its experience as a ten-year veteran of RFID innovation with Gen 2 do’s and don'ts to help companies avoid potential implementation issues. ...

... "Do go straight to Gen 2 if you are starting RFID pilots now: Gen 2 protocols offer significant performance enhancements over the first generation of EPCglobal UHF protocols, including superior tag throughput, improved accuracy and compliance with global spectrum regulations. Many new vendors have committed to supporting EPC Generation 2, allowing users to leverage standards-based interoperability among tags, interrogators, printer/encoders, etc. as well as aggressive pricing spawned by competition. " ...

Use Gen2 RFID for Pilots Starting Now: Via Zebra: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES REVEALS TOP 5 RFID GEN 2 DOs and DON'Ts ...

RFID in Factory Automation: Escort Memory Systems ...

Escort's RFID system supports the complexity of automation projects in industrial factories to support RFID-enabled automation of work-in-process tracking. ...

RFID in Factory Automation: Escort Memory Systems: Via Escort Memory Systems: Escort Memory Systems Takes the Lead in RFID for Factory Automation: Announcing the Cobalt HF™ family for industrial automation ...

... "Escort Memory Systems announces the Cobalt HF family of RFID solutions for factory automation. With the introduction of the Cobalt HF systems, Escort Memory Systems now sets the pace in RFID solutions for industrial control. With over 20 years of innovation in design and over sixty thousand installations worldwide, Escort Memory Systems is RFID at Work. This new family of RFID systems supports complex automation projects in many fields including pharmaceutical, automotive, electronics, food processing, clinical and other application requiring reliable RFID auto-identification of work-in-progress (WIP). " ...