RFID Shipment Tracking and Detection

Pliant implements IBM-designed RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) platform pilot program, that tracks shipments between technical centers and customer sites. The RFID system detects tampering in shipped products and enables workforce mobility using handheld devices to track products. Potential tampering can be identified and addressed in real-time. ...

... "IBM Global Business Services consultants collaborated with Pliant to develop a comprehensive RFID technology roadmap, helping Pliant prepare and validate the RFID equipment in its labs. Pliant's IBM software and solution, which has been in place since December 2005, leverages IBM's Data Collection Server software and WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure. The software installed on Pliant's network helped to create RFID labels which were printed and deployed on pallets and the pallets were tracked as they moved between the two Pliant technical centers in Newport News, Virginia and Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. IBM consultants worked with Pliant to create Web pages on a network database to track the content and movement history of each pallet so that its location was always known.



A wireless handheld RFID reader loaded with the WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure used to scan the pallets within the plants to immediately look up pallet content information. With the support provided by the IBM Global Business Services team, Pliant now has a proven product concept to access to real-time tracking information for shipments between its two facilities. This setup allowed Pliant to download and monitor critical information which helped protect business-critical applications. " ...

Via Pliant Corporation: IBM Helps Pliant Design and Implement RFID System to Track Shipments and Detect Tampering ...

RFID Sensors: NFC Tech Reads

Gentag receives patent number 7,148,803 for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Based Sensor Networks ...

... "This broad patent covers the uses of personal wireless devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and laptops as low-cost wireless readers for RFID sensors and the creation of RFID-sensor networks for consumer, industrial, and government applications. " ...

Via Yahoo! Finance: Gentag NFC Technology Reads RFID Sensors

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 Integrated Infant Protection ...

Verichip implements integrated protection system for infants that leverage RFID technology. ...

... "These VeriChip radio frequency (RF) locating technologies will be installed in the new, state-of-the-art Brampton Civic Hospital, in Brampton, Ontario, scheduled to open in the Fall of 2007. The project is being managed by Electro-Systems Alliance, a dealer for VeriChip's distribution partner Austco Communication Systems. Brampton Civic Hospital is owned and operated by William Osler Health Centre. The VeriChip systems will reside on the new VeriChip platform, which is designed to support multiple applications for facilities of any scale. Inter-connection to the Austco nurse call system will enable staff to receive notification remotely of all events--whether from the VeriChip systems or the nurse call system--via any text-enabled device, including PDAs and wireless phones. " ...

RFID Integrated Infant Protection: Via VeriChip: VeriChip makes first sale of integrated system for infant protection, wander prevention, staff duress and asset protection ...

RFID Wireless Sensor Networks: System on Chip ...

New system-on-chip design support RFID sensor networks and other monitoring applications. ...

... "Coronis announces the launch of a single-chip solution for OEMs and integrators that provides ultra-low power consumption and long-range features for wireless sensor networks (WSN). The Wavenis SoC will be ready for production in late 2006 to ship in 2007. The new Wavenis wireless System-on-Chip (SoC) transceiver design delivers an optimal price-performance ratio for various types of battery-powered sensor devices, such as RFID tags, utility meter monitors, industrial temperature monitoring systems, and more. Coronis currently has over 650,000 Wavenis-enabled devices deployed, with orders for another 400,000 to ship before the end of 2006. For the past several years, Coronis has concentrated its efforts on perfecting its unique ultralow-power (ULP), long-range Wavenis wireless transceiver. Consistent with its long-term growth strategy, the company is now moving forward with an even more sophisticated and costeffective solution for OEMs. The new SoC incorporates an enhanced Wavenis wireless transceiver and a unique, ultra-low-power microcontroller. Combining Wavenis, which consumes miniscule amounts of energy, with a power-optimized microcontroller not only significantly reduces consumption in every device, but throughout the entire WSN. " ...

RFID Wireless Sensor Networks: System on Chip: Coronis launches ultra-low-power system-on-chip design: Provides both ultra low power consumption with long range wireless features for sensor networks and RFID systems ...

Bluetooth RFID Scanner ...

RightTag introduces Bluetooth-enabled 13.56 Mhz RFID scanner, which relieves users of the burden of wiring. ...

... "RightTag, Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive wireless and wireline RFID solutions, announced the availability of the industry's first 13.56 MHz wireless radio-frequency identification scanner with Bluetooth. The new scanner, BT RIGHTReader, offers users greater flexibility by eliminating the need for cumbersome wires and transmitting data to devices up to ten meters (~10 yards) away. RightTag also announced the RIGHTScanner, a compact and inexpensive RFID scanner designed for companies looking to increase security and control and monitor access, or to better track products. The 13.56 MHz BT RIGHTReader is an easy-to-use and durable wireless scanner that can transmit data from any RFID tag, including ISO 15693, ISO 14443, USB and Serial port communications, to any Bluetooth-enabled device. The device is battery operated, and is fully functional in temperatures varying from -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) to 55 Celsius (131 Fahrenheit). The 1MHz bandwidth antenna can read tags as far as 16 centimeters (~6 inches) away and transmits to a Bluetooth receiver up to ten meters' distance, making BT RIGHTReader the most robust and flexible RFID offering available in the market. " ...

Bluetooth RFID Scanner: Via RightTag Inc.: RightTag Unveils BT RIGHTReader, Industry’s First Bluetooth RFID Scanner ...

RFID NordicID Handheld Reader: PL3000

NordicID introduces lightweight mobile handheld RFID reader, model PL3000, to enable retail data collection. ...

... "In coming years, RFID will revolutionise product coding in the retail business in the same way that traditional black and white bar codes did when they were introduced in the 1970s. With RFID, products are identified with special radio tags, which are read by handheld equipment and other devices. When the tags pass through a Radio Frequency (RF) field generated by a compatible reader, they transmit information stored by the tag to the reader, thereby identifying and giving details about the object to which they are attached. With RFID automation of logistics and customer service in retail can be taken into a new level of performance. Nordic ID is one of the first companies to introduce a sophisticated handheld computer designed for this new data collection concept. It is smaller and more light weight than other UHF RFID readers introduced so far. Currently, the handheld supports ISO18000-6 B, UCODE and EPC 1.19 standards. ISO18000-6 A, EPC Class 1 Gen 1 and EPC Class1 Gen 2 versions will be introduced shortly.

Nordic ID's PL3000 weighs only 500g and its level of power consumption and ergonomic design allows it to be used for long periods with a single hand. In the PL3000, Nordic ID has combined powerful data collection, processing and storing capacity with a variety of wireless communication technologies including WLAN and Bluetooth for local environments and GPRS or GSM for remote applications. In addition to the UHF RFID reader, the PL3000 can be equipped with barcode and 2D code readers. All the functionalities are integrated into a highly ergonomic and user friendly, mobile instrument. " ...

RFID NordicID Handheld Reader: PL3000: Via Nordic ID: Nordic ID launches revolutionary handheld computer with UHF RFID reader ...



With major investments planned for the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) in the retail, warehouse and distribution markets, Nordic ID, the leading Finnish specialist in handheld terminals and data collection, has launched the PL3000 handheld computer for UHF data collection systems. This is believed to be the first device of its type that can be used on European frequency bands and provide truly mobile data collection.

Wifi Active RFID Solutions: RTLS ...

Wifi Active RFID Solutions: RTLS: Via AeroScout: AEROSCOUT AND ALANCO INTRODUCE INDUSTRY’S FIRST TAMPER-PROOF WI-FI ACTIVE RFID TAG: Partnership Delivers Wi-Fi-based Location Solution to Corrections Industry ...

... "AeroScout, Inc., the market leader in the field of Wi-Fi based Active RFID solutions, announced a partnership with Alanco Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALAN) to develop and deliver a 2.4 GHz real-time location solution (RTLS) for the corrections industry. The two companies have successfully completed joint development on the industry's first tamper-proof Wi-Fi Active RFID tag, and deployed the first pilot site for a European prison customer. ... Through the partnership, AeroScout and Alanco have developed an extension to Alanco's successful TSI PRISM tracking system, which provides real-time identification and tracking of inmates and officers within corrections facilities, both indoors and out. The system can accurately locate and identify any person wearing a small wireless tag device, and this information is integrated into prison monitors. It handles common prison complexities such as a multi-floor, mixed indoor/outdoor environment, as well as the need for cell-level accuracy (using AeroScout's compact Exciter choke point device.) The two companies have developed the industry’s first Wi-Fi-based RFID tag with tamper-proof capabilities. The tag, which can be read by standard Cisco wireless access points, immediately detects any attempt to remove or tamper with it. The joint development efforts have also enabled the TSI PRISM system to now use the popular Wi-Fi standard (2.4 GHz) as a communications protocol. The system was designed to be extended to other environments with similar needs, such as psychiatric facilities. " ...

RFID-Assisted Localization ...

NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is enabling this research project to explore the application of detection of an RFID device in a known, fixed location by a moving reader. This technique provides a precise indication of location and can be leveraged in a first-response situation. ...

Via NIST: RFID-Assisted Localization and Communication for First Responders

... "The RFID-Assisted Localization and Communication for First Responders project will determine the feasibility of using RFID-assisted localization in combination with an ad-hoc wireless communication network to provide reliable tracking of first responders in stressed indoor RF environments, where GPS-based localization and links to external communication systems are known to be unreliable. " ...

Low Price RFID Reader: Research Driving

RFID tag prices are dropping. Reader pricing is expected to follow. Kelly Mills explores recent research on cost trends in RFID technology, such as tags and readers.

Low Price RFID Reader: Research Driving: Via Australian IT: Research to lower price of RFID tag ...

... "Over the next three to five years prices for UHF tags and readers are likely to come down 60-70 per cent, with the price of an RFID reader at less then 100 euro, the 2005 LogicaCMG RFID Hardware Survey says. " ...

Competitive market for RFID readers is showing lower price trends:

... "Applied Wireless Identifications (AWID) is dropping reader prices by about 70% to transform the market landscape. For the first time, a Generation 2 RFID reader, including four antennas, has fallen under the $1,000 price barrier. RFID technology depends on tags being read automatically by receptors known as readers, which are typically sold separately from the antennas they need in order to function. AWID is revolutionizing the marketplace by offering the MPR-3014 reader as production units for $1,000 each, and including four circular polarized antennas at no extra cost. MPR-3014 reader development kits go for $1,600; and the MPR-1510 reader module production units sell for under $400 each, with development kits at $700. " ...

... "Via Internet Week: RFID Readers: Read Right: Most UHF readers cost from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the features in the device. Companies may also have to buy each antenna separately, along with cables. Antennas are about $250 and up. The price of readers is expected to fall as companies purchase them in large volumes. " ...

... "Via ZDNet: Static over RFID: We're seeing a downward trend in prices, and that's one of things driving adoption, said Jeff Richards, president and chief executive of R4 Global Solutions ... " ...

Healthcare RFID Hospital Installations ...

Healthcare RFID Hospital Installations: Via Radianse: New Radianse active-RFID installations at Yale-New Haven Hospital, PinnacleHealth Hospitals and St. Vincent's Hospital

... "Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, installed a Radianse IPS to improve equipment management and patient and staff flows across Perioperative Services and the Cardiac Thoracic Intensive Care unit. Close to a thousand pieces of medical equipment are covered by a Radianse IPS, so wherever equipment is located from central supply to the post anesthesia care unit it can be immediately found using a simple, web-based search. That same search function can be used to locate a number of managers who wear Radianse active-RFID location tags in the first phase of staff location. When patient location is deployed later this year, the hospital plans to use Radianse single-use active-RFID tags, a wristwatch-sized device designed to maximize comfort, safety and convenience across a patient's length of stay. " ...

Radianse, Inc., Lawrence, Mass., provides hospitals with wireless indoor positioning solutions (IPS) that accurately locate and associate medical equipment, patients and staff. University, regional and community hospitals alike use Radianse applications for asset tracking, patient and staff location and real-time alerts to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and safety and increase satisfaction and revenues. A Radianse IPS, which combines active-RFID tags with LAN-ready receivers and web-based location analysis software, installs simply, expands readily and delivers a return on investment in a matter of months. The Radianse Ready™ partner program provides equipment and clinical applications providers the ability to integrate identity and time-based location data.

Syclo Agentry RFID Middleware ...

Syclo Agentry RFID Middleware: Via Syclo: Syclo Joins Symbol's PartnerSelect ISV Partner Program: Long-time partner Syclo selected for Symbol's Partner Advisory Council; Syclo and Symbol deliver mobile solutions to more than 100 customers and thousands of mobile workers ...

Syclo collaborates with Symbol to deliver RFID solutions to mobile workforce ...

... "Syclo’s Agentry mobile platform, the basis for all of its products, enables organizations to build out their mobile programs using the same platform. Recognized as best-in-class middleware, Agentry can be used to rapidly deploy custom mobile applications that work in and out of wireless coverage, run on multiple handheld devices and support the latest in device peripherals, including RFID, GPS, GIS and more. " ...

Syclo is a leading developer of mobile solutions that streamline workflow and maximize productivity. Building on its flagship development platform Agentry, Syclo offers fully configurable mobile applications that run on a variety of devices and support real-time wireless or offline computing. Syclo's SMART Suite, the most widely deployed solution for enterprise asset management, includes pre-packaged and pre-integrated applications for maintenance and field service teams. Syclo and its partners utilize Agentry to design, develop and integrate customized solutions on-time and within budget. Over 500 Global 1000 corporations across industries have deployed Syclo's solutions.

RFID Location Based Services: Asset Positioning System

RFID LocationBased Services: Asset Positioning System: Skyhook Wireless Announces Commercial Availability of the Wi-Fi Positioning System Across Top 25 Metropolitan Areas: Industry’s First Wi-Fi Positioning System Now Available to Vendors of Location Based Services and Applications

Skyhook provides wireless services that support precision device location, including RFID devices ...

... "Skyhook Wireless announced today the commercial availability of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), the first wide-area positioning system leveraging 802.11, or Wi-Fi, rather than satellite or cell-tower-based technologies. The system is now available for deployment by application developers and device manufacturers across the largest 25 metropolitan areas of the United States. The precise location of any Wi-Fi enabled device, including a PC, laptop, PDA, Tablet PC, Smartphone or RFID tag, can be determined without adding any new hardware. " ...

Founded in 2003, Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of the first-ever metro-area positioning system that leverages Wi-Fi rather than satellites or cell towers to deliver precise location data supporting the growing market for location-based services. The Skyhook Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) requires no new hardware, works indoors and outdoors, provides an instant location and is more accurate than current technologies in congested downtown areas. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA and is privately held.

RFID UID Compliance Mandates: Total Solution ...

RFID UID Compliance Mandates: LOCKHEED MARTIN SIGNS I-GUIDES (TM) UID COMPLIANCY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH WFI

... "UID and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) mandates have converged and become a perplexing reality for many DoD suppliers, said Phil Mattox, senior vice president of Business Development for WFI Government Services, Inc. We believe the addition of the I-GUIDESTM UID software will significantly complement our skill sets in logistics management and RFID implementation, and enhance the Total Solutions Concept we currently deliver to our customer base. I-GUIDESTM is also available through a distribution network across the United States, including several printer manufacturers, direct part-mark device manufacturers and reader/verifier companies in the UID/RFID industry. " ...

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2004 sales of $35.5 billion.

Headquartered in San Diego, CA, WFI is an independent provider of systems engineering, network services and technical outsourcing for the world's largest wireless carriers, enterprise customers and for government agencies. The company provides the design, deployment, integration, and overall management of wired and wireless networks which deliver voice and data communication, and which support advanced security systems. WFI has performed work in over 100 countries since its founding in 1994.

RFID Technology Wireless Tag ...

Publications: Equipment

... "Products using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can read information contained in a wireless device or tag remotely, without making any physical contact or requiring a line of sight between the two. " ...

RFID Controller System ...

Genesta - Specialists in RFID, Speech Recognition, & Wireless Data Collection: Genesta & Digi Partner on RFID Appliance ...

... "Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII), the leader in Connectware, announced its Digi Connect Wi-EM wireless embedded module will be used by Genesta to add wireless networking functionality to the company's Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Genesta is quickly and easily adding wireless networking functionality to its RFID controller systems by exchanging the Digi Connect EM, an embedded module for wired device networking, with the pin compatible and interchangeable Digi Connect Wi-EM. RFID technology, often referred to as the next generation of bar coding, uses radio waves to automatically identify tagged items. It is expected to create significant inventory and labor cost savings for end users. Genesta's RFID controller system will be on display on Digi's booth 2237 at ESC San Francisco. " ...

Digi International, based in Minneapolis, is the leader in Connectware and makes device networking easy by developing products and technologies that are cost effective and easy to use. Digi markets its products through a global network of distributors and resellers, systems integrators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Genesta is a leading provider of data collection solutions for industrial, transportation, and logistics applications. Genesta's hardware controller systems coupled with RFlex and SyVox software products enable processes using radio frequency identification (RFID), speech recognition, bar coding, and wireless based technologies. Genesta offers a complete set of integration, installation, and support services through a highly trained staff and partnerships with leading technology manufacturers in the data collection industry. Genesta is a privately held partnership based in Rockwall, Texas.

RFID Mobile Enterprise Solutions ...

Syclo Announces the Release of Agentry version 3.7: Agentry mobile platform adds support for BlackBerry and also includes compatibility with IBM's DB2 Everyplace database for mobile devices ...

Syclo enterprise solutions offer mobile device integration with peripherals, such as RFID ...

... "With Agentry, 80 percent of the application is already built allowing the designer to concentrate on the business solution, while the underlying Agentry components handle the technical details. Out of box integration with more than 25 different peripherals such as bar code scanners, wireless printers, GPS, GIS, and RFID. " ...

Syclo is a leading developer of mobile solutions that streamline workflow and maximize productivity. Building on its flagship development platform Agentry, Syclo offers fully configurable mobile applications that run on a variety of devices and support real-time wireless or offline computing. Syclo's SMART Suite, the most widely deployed solution for enterprise asset management, includes pre-packaged and pre-integrated applications for maintenance and field service teams. Syclo and its partners utilize Agentry to design, develop and integrate customized solutions on-time and within budget. Over 500 Global 1000 corporations across industries have deployed Syclo's solutions.

RFID Real-Time Device Tracking ...

Cisco Enables New Wireless Business Applications and Enhanced Security through Real-Time Device Tracking

... "The Cisco 2700 Series Wireless Location Appliance uses the radio frequency (RF) fingerprinting capabilities of the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) to accurately locate authorized or unauthorized 802.11-enabled devices to within a few meters. This includes wireless laptops, PDAs, Voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) handsets, rogue access points and clients, and devices equipped with active 802.11 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The location of each device is graphically displayed on floor plans within Cisco WCS, enabling network administrators to rapidly and easily determine each device's physical location. " ...

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, celebrates 20 years of commitment to technology innovation, industry leadership, and corporate social responsibility.