RFID Lab Villanova University: Stimulate Region Competitiveness

Villanova University researches RFID technology at its Center for Advanced Communications. The director of the RFID lab is Dr. Yimin Zhang. The Center was created through a partnership of Villanova, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and the National Science Foundation to stimulate regional industrial competitiveness. ...

... "The Center for Advanced Communications (CAC) at Villanova University has established state-of-the-art Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) facilities on Villanova University campus. The main objective of this Lab is to become a leading provider of RFID research in the region and promote collaboration and partnership with RFID manufacturing industries. " ...

Via Villanova University College of Engineering: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Lab ...

RFID Nike iPod Privacy Breach

University of Washington research demonstrates flaws in the RFID technology used in the the Nike Ipod Sport kit, that enable tracking of individuals from moderate distanced, compromising their security. Additional cryptography could be added to deal with this flaw. ...

... "As part of our research, we built a number of surveillance tools that malicious individuals could use to track Nike+iPod Sport Kit owners. Our tools can track Nike+iPod Sport Kit owners while they our working out, as well as when they are just casually walking around town, a parking lot, or a college campus. " ...

Via University of Washington: The Nike+iPod Sport Kit

RFID Read Range Clipped

IBM clips RFID tags wil permit consumer to tear off part of the antenna, decreasing the read range. ...

... "Marnlen will produce labels with RFID circuitry stretched across perforated paper. " ...

Via The Bryan-College Station Eagle: New technology clips RFID's range ...

RFID RTLS Sensor Collaboration: RFCode OhioU ...

RF Code partners with Ohio U by equiping the university's auto-id center with RFID-based real-time location system. ...

... "RF Code, Inc., a leading provider of real-time, high definition location solutions, announced it is providing Ohio University's Center for Automatic Identification with a permanent, interactive demonstration of RF Code's Real-Time Location and Sensor (RTLS) solution. The Center for Automatic Identification is part of the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology. RF Code has donated radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, tags and software to be tested by the center so it can provide unbiased information on active RFID's potential and challenges. The demonstration is the first RTLS solution to be evaluated by the center, which is the nation's oldest university-based center devoted solely to the subject of automatic identification. " ...

RFID RTLS Sensor Collaboration: RFCode OhioU: Via RF Code: RF Code and Ohio University Showcase Real-Time Location and Sensor Solutions ...

Walmart RFID Out-of-Stock Impact

University of Arkansas researchers analyze data from Walmart RFID implementations and see significant positive impact on out-of-stock inventory situations for products with specific selling velocities. Those products with very high sell-through did not see any reduction in out-of-stocks. ...

... "RFID technology has the greatest impact on a critical category of products -- those that sell between 7 and 15 units per day -- according to further analysis by University of Arkansas researchers on the impact of RFID on out-of-stock products at select WalMart stores.

The study, sponsored by WalMart Stores Inc. and conducted by Walton College research faculty from Feb. 14, 2005, to Sept. 12, 2005, examined 24 stores, half of which were RFID-enabled and the other half of which were control stores. " ...

Via University of Arkansas: More Findings on Impact of RFID ...

RFID Research Program: Georgia Tech in Ireland ...

Georgia Tech starts RFID research program at research enterprise in Ireland. ...

... "The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology, will establish a research enterprise in Athlone, Ireland to focus on industry research and development needs. GTRI Ireland will be GTRI's first applied research facility outside the United States.

The new institute will focus on four technology areas that mirror Ireland's research strengths — digital media, radio frequency identification (RFID), biotechnology and energy. The research with RFID will center on authentication and identification technologies from acoustics to optics for the commercial sector. For instance, because Ireland has a thriving pharmaceutical industry, some of the institute's research will target pill-tracking accuracy, ensuring authenticity and dosage. " ...

Via Georgia Institute of Technology: GTRI to Open Institute in Athlone, Ireland ...

Additional university-sponsored RFID research programs ...

Information Technology Research Institute: RFID Research Center: "Information Technology Research Institute created its first sub-unit, the RFID Research Center. This new center spans many disciplines including retail, supply chain, industrial engineering, and computer science, among others. The center's base of operations is a lab which models a production warehouse environment in 7000 sq ft. of space donated to the center by Hanna's Candles and located within Hanna's manufacturing and warehouse facility. Collaborators with the RFID Research Center within the Walton College include the UA information systems department, the Supply Chain Management Research Center, and the Center for Retailing Excellence. Leveraging multidisciplinary expertise across the University of Arkansas, the RFID Research Center also has collaborative relationships with the College of Engineering, including the departments of computer science and computer engineering, industrial engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering; the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, including the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies and the department of public policy; the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences, including the department of food science; and the School of Law. "

RFID@WINMEC:RFID Research: "RFID@WINMEC Middleware - The RFID@WINMEC middleware research project involves the development of a middleware stack with sub-stacks that manages r/w functions, abstracts reader and tags, networks readers together, provides hooks to databases and provides a homogeneous interface for application development. We work with sponsoring organizations on developing and studying RFID pilots by using our RFID middleware stack. "

RFID Academic Convocation II: Opportunities for RFID Sponsored Research Collaboration: "The RFID Academic Convocation brings together Directors of leading RFID research laboratories with executives from lead users in their industries and their RFID platform partners to address underlying research issues surrounding implementation of RFID. This event is part of a series of meetings that are being organized around the world to build collaboration across academic disciplines, institutional and geographic boundaries. Participation by qualified academic and industry researchers and governmental agency representatives is invited. "

LowCost RFID Research Workshop in Jan2006 ...

RFID Research Workshop will focus on low-cost technology in January 2006 ...

... "International Research Consortium for Packaging, Manufacturing, and Reliability for Low-Cost and Related Integrated SMART Tag Systems

The purpose of this workshop is to solicit input from interested organizations on the key issues and barriers to the manufacture of low-cost RFID tags with reliable performance, prioritize and begin to define the pre-competitive research programs to be supported by the Consortium to address these issues, and solicit membership in the Consortium by interested organizations.

University of Arkansas College of Engineering, Sam M. Walton College of Business, and TechSearch International, Inc.; January 25-26, 2006, Fayetteville, Arkansas" ...

LowCost RFID Research Workshop in Jan2006: International Research Consortium for Packaging, Manufacturing, and Reliability for Low-Cost and Related Integrated SMART Tag Systems ...

Tags: Radio Frequency Identification, RFID, RFID Tag

RFID Lab Provides Hands-On Classroom Experience ...

Stratum Global will provide the RFID technology foundation for the hands-on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) lab in Illinois at Oakton Community College, serving fourteen northern Chicago suburbs.

... "The Community College RFID lab will be located at Oakton’s new Art, Science, and Technology Pavilion in Skokie. Stratum Global, William Frick, Intel and Intermec Technologies Corp. are providing Oakton with the tools required to develop an RFID lab and curriculum that will give students the opportunity to study the dynamics of how RFID infrastructure, readers, tags, and software logic solve business problems.

Stratum Global’s TagNet RFID solution suite will serve as the software application foundation for understanding the integration components and the dynamics between the infrastructure, tags and readers. Students will use the software to manage and configure readers, conduct remote diagnostics, commission and interrogate tags, verify tag reads against existing enterprise data and create rules to establish application level events. William Frick, based in Libertyville, IL, specializes in tag and labeling solution offerings. Frick will assist in developing the tag curriculum as it relates to tag materials, tags for high impact or rugged environments, application of active or passive tags, high visibility tags as well as tagging location. Frick will provide the lab with a variety of tag types for the students to work with on different materials, in multiple scenarios. Students will have a firm understanding of the differences between tags types, where those types are applicable and how to effectively construct a tagging methodology. Enterprise data will reside on an Intel based P4 and Xeon Server infrastructure. Data will be used to commission tags, construct work rules and manage events. Stratum Global’s TagNet® will ensure a seamless flow of data within the RFID environment, between the Intermec Readers, antennas, tags and the Intel platform.

RFID hardware will be provided by Intermec and will include Intermec’s IF5 fixed readers, IP3® portable readers, and a combination of Intermec Intellitag antennas. Students will use the hardware to understand how physical readers, handhelds and antennas are used to develop portals, and how portal development impacts read rates and the dynamics of hardware configuration. The hardware and curriculum will prepare students for careers in RFID, with a firm understanding of the technology required for a successful implementation and how that implementation can bring continuous process improvement to the business. " ...

Via Stratum Global: Hands-On RFID Lab at Oakton Community College: Industry leaders collaborate to develop lab and curriculum ...

Additional resources on university RFID labs:

Via Cal Poly: RFID HIGHLIGHTS: "Fred Abler, Tali Freed visited Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park, CA for a day of meetings to present the Cal Poly RFID Research and Testing Lab to a team of SUN executives. The meeting was arranged by Sema Alptekin, a Cal Poly IME professor currently on sabbatical at UC Berkeley. During the day-long series of meetings, the directors presented their vision for RFID Research at CAL POLY, resulting in the RFID Research and Testing Lab being nominated to become the SUN Center of Excellence for RFID."

Via University of Wisconsin: Headlines for March 21, 2005: "The RFID laboratory on the UW-Madison campus enables RFID workgroup members to conduct structured experiments ranging from tag placement to antenna design. "

Via University of Arkansas - Daily Headlines: "The University of Arkansas RFID Research Center laboratory has passed accreditation criteria established by EPCglobal Inc., a global not-for-profit standards organization commercializing the Electronic Product CodeT (EPC) and RFID worldwide. The UA lab is one of the first EPC/RFID research laboratories worldwide to receive the EPCglobal Performance Test Center accreditation. The RFID Research Center, a subunit of the Information Technology Research Institute, housed in the university's Sam M. Walton College of Business."

RFID Training Program Sponsored by Grant ...

RFID Training Program Sponsored by Grant: Via Littleton Independent: MCC is awarded job training grant
...

... "MCC's grant will enable the college to develop and implement educational training programs for Radio Frequency Identification technicians. RFID is expected to revolutionize many processes in the U.S. economy. " ...

RFID Laboratory and Program Planned

RFID program will launch, including a radio frequency identification equipped laboratory, at Middlesex Community College. Tom Spoth reports on the exploration of RFID at MCC. ...

Founded in 1966 as a branch campus of Manchester Community College, Middlesex Community College became an independent member of the Community College System in 1968. In 1973, the college moved to its present 38-acre campus, which overlooks the scenic Connecticut River and the City of Middletown. Middlesex Community College is conveniently located in Central Connecticut and is easily accessible via major interstates.

RFID Laboratory and Program Planned: Via Lowell Sun Online: Grant allows MCC to launch RFID program ...

... "Using a grant of more than $850,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor, Middlesex Community College plans to establish a radio frequency identification program at its Lowell campus. ... " ...

Additional references on RFID at university research laboratories:

A popular radio-frequency ID system that is used to deter car thefts and as a convenience device for the purchase of gasoline can be defeated with low-cost technology, computer scientists from The Johns Hopkins University and RSA Laboratories have determined. ...

The University of Arkansas RFID Research Center laboratory has passed accreditation criteria established by EPCglobal Inc., a global not-for-profit standards organization commercializing the Electronic Product CodeT (EPC) and RFID worldwide. The UA lab is one of the first EPC/RFID research laboratories worldwide to receive the EPCglobal Performance Test Center accreditation. The RFID Research Center, a subunit of the Information Technology Research Institute, housed in the university's Sam M. Walton College of Business. ...

The University of Wisconsin-Madison unveiled its new radio-frequency identification test laboratory Friday, which will help Wisconsin businesses find ways to use the technology in their operations. ...

RFID Verichip Hospital Growth Explodes ...

RFID Verichip Hospital Growth Explodes: Via VeriChip: VeriChip Corporation Adds 49 Additional Hospitals During Month of September That Have Agreed to Implement the VeriMed(TM) Patient Identification System; Total of 58 Hospitals Exceeds Company's Full-Year Guidance of 20 to 25 Hospitals ...

... "Overall, since the FDA clearance of VeriChip for medical applications, 58 hospitals have agreed to adopt the VeriMed System in their emergency departments. The Company had previously announced that it expected to have 20 to 25 hospitals agree to adopt the VeriMed System by the end of 2005. Most of the hospitals entering into agreements to implement VeriMed in September did so as a result of the Company's demonstration of the system at the American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) Scientific Assembly that took place September 26-29, 2005 in Washington, D.C. " ...

VeriChip: The First RFID Company for People: VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital and the only company to provide both implantable and wearable RFID identification and security solutions for people, their assets, and their environments. From the world's first and only FDA-cleared, human-implantable RFID microchip to the only patented active RFID tag with skin-sensing capabilities, VeriChip leads the way in next-generation RFID technologies. Today, over 4,000 installations worldwide in healthcare, security, industrial, and government markets benefit from both the protection and efficiencies provided by VeriChip systems.

RFID Blood Supply Management ...

RFID Blood Supply Management: Adding RFID layer to blood safety loop - College of American Pathologists

Karen Lusky writes about the application of RFID technology to decreasing errors in the handling of the blood supply ...

... "The U.S. blood banking community and hospitals are eyeing RFID technology to tag everything from patient identification wristbands to blood containers in an effort to stamp out the estimated one in 14,000 chance that a patient will receive the wrong blood due to human error. " ...

RFID Application and Education ...

RFID Application and Education: Ohio Governor Bob Taft - News Release

... "Development Research Corporation (Kettering, Montgomery County) received more than $2.3 million to establish the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Application and Education Center (REAC). The REAC will serve as a source for RFID solutions for both end customers as well as suppliers. RFID tags, which consist of silicon chips and an antenna that can transmit data to a wireless receiver, could one day be used to track everything from soda cans to cereal boxes. Unlike bar codes, which need to be scanned manually and read individually, radio ID tags do not require line of sight for reading and hundreds of tags can be read per second. The project expects to achieve annual sales of $10 million and create 100 new jobs within 3 to 5 years. Collaborators on this project include Alien Technology Corp., Sinclair Community College, Miami Valley Venture Funds, Development Project Inc., NCIC Capital Fund and Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. " ...

University RFID Research Center

University RFID Research Center: University of Arkansas Opens RFID Research Laboratory: University of Arkansas - Daily Headlines

... "Fifty-year-old technologies rarely have the potential to transform the business landscape. The University of Arkansas and 24 industry-leading companies believe one technology - Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) - can do just that; they have joined forces to support a multidisciplinary neutral, third-party research and testing facility, the newly formed RFID Research Center, a subunit of the Information Technology Research Institute in the university's Sam M. Walton College of Business. The RFID Research Center officially opened its laboratory, located in the Fayetteville Industrial Park, today. " ...

Bill Hardgrave, associate professor, Edwin and Karlee Bradberry Chair Director, RFID Research Center, Executive director, Information Technology Research Institute, Sam M. Walton College of Business, (479) 575-6099.

Automated RFID Clothing Industry ...

Automated RFID Clothing Industry: Garan Inc. reaches for positive ROI with Accu-Sort® FAST Tag™ automated RFID labeling system ...

... "Accu-Sort Systems, Inc., announced it has installed a FAST Tag™ In-Motion automated RFID and bar code system for clothing manufacturer Garan Inc. FAST Tag In-Motion will help the company’s distribution center in Jena, Louisiana; meet the RFID compliance standards outlined by Wal-Mart® and other retailers. Garan® is a leading manufacturer of children’s, women’s and men’s apparel bearing the private labels of its customers as well as several of its own trademarks, including Garanimals®. FAST Tag In-Motion automates the process of applying and verifying RFID tags on cartons. At the Louisiana facility, a tag applicator places tags only on cartons that require RFID tags, while all cartons processed on the line receive a retailer-compliant shipping label and an option carrier parcel label. An outbound verification system screens for inaccurate tags and incorrect labels; it sends those boxes to a subsystem for verification and relabeling. On the other side of the line, the cartons are loaded on pallets for shipment. Accu-Sort’s FAST™ Suite software controls the process and seamlessly provides data aggregation, filtering and reporting to Garan’s WMS system. " ...

Garan produces the popular Garanimals line of apparel, which encourages children to match shirts and pants themselves by using special animal-themed tags on the clothing. Garan also produces brand apparel for girls and women and sells garments featuring college and university marks and pro-sports emblems for boys and men. In September 2002, Garan was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway®.

Accu-Sort Systems is a pioneer in reliable auto ID and high-speed compliance solutions with more than three decades of experience deploying and supporting scanning and tracking solutions in distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, and retailer environments. The company is also an established provider of convergent RFID and bar code systems with more than 50 RFID installations.

RFID Early-Stage Investments ...

RFID Early-Stage Investments: Backing from AMRC Benefits Promising High-Tech Startups in Texas ...

RFID company garners early-stage investment ...

... "The AMRC beneficiaries include innovators in leading-edge lithography, next-generation lighting, organic RFID systems, optical interconnects, wireless networks, and nanomaterials. Each is receiving technology or support from the AMRC, which was established in 2004 to develop new materials and nanostructures for semiconductors and to explore opportunities for nanotechnology, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies. ... OrganicID, developing a low-cost, organic electronic process technology designed to replace bar codes with printable electronic radio-frequency (RF) ID tags. (Silicon RFIDs cost up to $1 each, and are too expensive for item-level tagging.) Associated with Dr. Ananth Dodabalapur of UT's College of Engineering, OrganicID maintains a technology development center located at UT's Microelectronics Research Center, one of the facilities making up the AMRC. " ...

The University of Texas College of Engineering ranks among the top ten engineering schools in the United States. With the nation's third highest percentage of faculty elected members of the National Academy of Engineering, the College's 6,500 students gain exposure to the nation's finest engineering practitioners. Appropriately, the college's logo, an embellished checkmark used by the first UT engineering dean to denote high quality student work, is the nation's oldest quality symbol.

Healthcare RFID Solutions: Real-Time Access and Control ...

Allstream RFID Solution to Improve Management Infrastructure for Leading Healthcare Supplier ...

... "Allstream, one of Canada's leading national business communication solutions providers, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Hospital Logistics Inc. (HLI) to provide a business management solution using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Hospital Logistics Inc. is a Toronto, Ontario-based company that provides supply chain management solutions to hospitals across the Greater Toronto Area. As part of the agreement, in the first phase, Allstream will provide a web-hosted RFID solution for HLI's logistics chain management system for real-time access and use within their warehouse facilities. " ...

Allstream is a leading communication solutions provider with a world-class portfolio of Connectivity, Managed Services and Professional Services. Focused on the business market, Allstream collaborates with customers to create tailored solutions that meet their unique needs and help them compete more effectively. Allstream is a division of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS), Canada's third largest communications provider with approximately 6,600 dedicated employees focused on delivering outstanding value to its customers. MTS has an extensive broadband fibre-optic network spanning more than 24,300 kilometres, and provides international connections through strategic partnerships and interconnection agreements with other international service providers. MTS's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (trading symbol: MBT).


Hospital Logistics Inc. (HLI) is a leading provider of management solutions to hospitals, delivering value by reducing costs and increasing service levels in support of patient care. Through its facility in Oakville, Ontario, HLI provides a technically state-of-the-art and cost-effective solution so that its hospital customers can improve management of their supply chain and streamline inventory, ordering, and distribution of medical surgical supplies. HLI is owned by the University Health Network (UHN), the umbrella organization that supports three teaching and research hospitals in Toronto: Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, and Toronto Western Hospital. Two other Toronto hospitals have also signed on as customers, which include Mt. Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook & Women's Health Sciences Centre (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Women's College Hospital, and Orthopedic & Arthritic Institute).

RFID Sensor Networks Research and Development ...

University of Maryland's Business School and Avaya Expand Research and Development Relationship and Activities ... Development of virtual community prototype to enhance collaboration between alumni, students, faculty and staff at Robert H. Smith School of Business; Advancements to RFID research at school's Netcentricity Lab and Supply Chain Management Center

... "The Smith School and Avaya will also build on previous collaborative research to extend communications capabilities in radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor networks into supply chain management and healthcare scenarios, and into event-triggered conferencing for crisis situations. Past Avaya-Smith research in this area has resulted in significant advances in enterprise supply chains beginning with a project for the United States Air Force in 2000 as well as for the State of Maryland." ...

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research for the digital economy. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, Executive MBA, PhD, and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in three continents including North America, Europe and Asia.

Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol telephony systems and communications software applications and services. Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services - Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results.

RFID Sensor Networks: Research Development Relationship ...

University of Maryland's Business School and Avaya Expand Research and Development Relationship and Activities

... "The Smith School and Avaya will also build on previous collaborative research to extend communications capabilities in radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor networks into supply chain management and healthcare scenarios, and into event-triggered conferencing for crisis situations. Past Avaya-Smith research in this area has resulted in significant advances in enterprise supply chains beginning with a project for the United States Air Force in 2000 as well as for the State of Maryland." ...

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research for the digital economy. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, Executive MBA, PhD, and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in three continents including North America, Europe and Asia.

Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FOR