RFid Blog

It’s an alternative to RFID passport system, which has raised a furious debate throughout the USA. The primary aim of RFID-enabled driving license is to ensure security at our border areas without obstructing trade and tourism, the Washington government claims.

Acting on the Federal mandate, the Washington government has joined hands with the US Department of Homeland Security to develop a driver’s license, which would embed RFID tags, reports CRW News. These driving licenses will be issued next year.

The RFID pilot programme meets the Federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)compliance, which was enacted three years ago in the Congress.

As per the WHTI regulation, the visitors crossing US borders to Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda should hold passports or other DHS-approved documents to prove their identity.

However, the problem lies in implementation of RFID-enabled driving licenses as it happened with RFID passports.

The proposed RFID pilot programme are likely to pass through the bumpy roads before it becomes widely acceptable in the country. Not surprisingly, the reason here is privacy concerns of the license holders.

It is not for the first time that Metro Group is deploying RFID. The Germany-based retailer is already in the limelight for its dock-to-door RFID project. This time, the retailer is undertaking an RFID project what it claims the largest production-scale RFID rollout in Europe.

Metro Group has selected Reva’s Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) products to manage its distributed network of RFID deployments. The retailer will use the TAP products in its stores to improve distribution and receiving, customer service and inventory management.

Speaking to Computer World, Metro Group’s IT managing director, Gerd Wolfram explained,

The efficiency, manageability and performance improvement we’ve demonstrated with Reva’s technology as part of our RFID architecture allows us to realize our plan for utilizing RFID technology to optimize the supply chain.

Metro Group will target 200 locations of the sales brands Metro Cash & Carry, Real stores and distribution centers in the first phase.

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Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, has selected Intermec, the leading RFID and supply chain technology vendor to supply an RFID and barcode system for the airport’s Cargo Free Zone.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport, the hub of central air traffic for Southeast Asia has launched an NBIA Cargo Free Zone IT project, which includes most updated technology and services, including its RFID Customs Free Zone management system. RFID system is a core part of the IT system for the Cargo Free Zone, which is used to track incoming and outgoing goods in the cargo warehouse and terminal.

The Cargo Free Zone uses Intermec bar code printers as well as readers to monitor cargo, complementing the RFID system. Cargo cars, which enters terminals have attached RFID tags, while their loads have bar code labels.

The RFID system for the Cargo Free Zone uses various Intermec RFID equipment, which are given below:

1) 150 Intermec IF5 intelligent fixed RFID readers
2) 100 Intermec 751 rugged mobile computers
3) 100 Intermec IP3 portable RFID readers
4) 600 RF antennae
5) 46,000 reusable plastic RFID tags
6) 4,000 windshield RFID tags
7) Ten PD4 bar code printers and ten 1551 rugged handheld scanners

Piyarat Srivaranon, Thailand country manager of Intermec, said,

Intermec is proud to be a part of the Cargo Free Zone system of New Bangkok International Airport. The project will be the largest RFID system in Southeast Asia and will provide faster monitoring of cargo locations and tracking of movements in the Zone.

Image Credit: Salathai & RFID

Via: Businesses Wire

Printronix has unveiled the SLPA8000r encode, print and apply system for the European consumer packaged goods companies. It is being regarded as the first bar code printer applicator in the market which can upgrade to RFID labeling in the field and hence people can test RFID without any heavy investment. Besides it offers the highest speed RFID encoding and printing with a capacity which is more than hundred cases per minute. It is an evolution over the SLPA7000r which was released in 2004.

The company has even entered into technology alliances with local European firms for selling, installing and servicing the SLPA8000r in UK, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain. Built on Printronix’s MP2 Smart encoding technology this is the first platform designed for meeting EPCglobal Gen 2 encoding specifications. It is interoperable with a wide range of Gen 2 tags and is has been made available commercially.

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Via: digital50

What can RFID do for the visually challenged people? Ask TellMate, a newly launched RFID system by S.J Chin. It enables blinds to identify daily used objects such as food items in a kitchen room or things kept in the wallet. It also helps them to identifying credit cards for payments. Wonderful!

IBM announced the availability of an electronic pedigree system (ePedigree), which will allow pharmaceutical companies to create an electronic certificate of authenticity for every drug, which passes through the supply chain. The ePedigree allows all participants in the drug supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and hospitals to access historical data on medicine package.

The ePedigree is a new version of IBM’s WebSphere RFID Information Center (RFIDIC), a high performance data repository, which allows users to efficiently manage and securely share information with trading partners to authenticate pharmaceuticals. IBM’s ePedigree uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, which tracks packages of drugs. The new ePedigree offers a flexible ‘track and trace’ framework through standards-based EPC Information Services. Clients would be able to easily access key data elements to solve their business needs like chargeback resolution by generating EPCIS events and queries.

IBM has integrated the Coral8 Engine, complex event processing software from Coral8 with ePedigree, which allows customers to set up rules for supply chains. Additionally the ePedigree, is fully compatible with the EPCglobal Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard. The product also integrates the customer master data systems to provide additional business context by using product, location and supplier information.

According to Chris Clauss, director of sensor information management at IBM Software, the whole system watches and keeps records of medicine history. This system is helpful tool for industry to comply with mandates and various trading requirements.

Image Credit: HTU & MSDN 2

Via: IT Business Edge

Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. that supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business services in Canada, Staples Business Depot, will install AbsoluteSKY’s intelliTRACKER RFID-based product suite at Canadian store.

Staples Business Depot will tag thousands of items, which would be automatically tracks in real time during the installation. It tracks items from entering into store inventory, to store shelves through completion of sales transaction. The intelliTRACKER software performs various functions, which are given below:

1) On-hand status and search
2) Automated receiving
3) Inventory status changes
4) Zone differentiation
5) Shrink reduction

The RFID tags are not concealed on the items and it can be re-usable for security purposes. These tags are physically detached, when the item is sold to the customer at a Staples Business Depot store.

Joe Soares, Director, Process Engineering at Staples Business Depot, said,

This is clearly a significant installation in our inventory management improvement initiative. We’ve done our homework on RFID and expect a positive ROI and the ability to meaningfully improve inventory visibility and customer service.

While according to Peter Sciberras, general manager and vice president of sales, Canada, Fujitsu Transaction Solutions, Staples has practical vision with respect to RFID technology and the company has potential to take its operational benefits in the store environment including better serving their customers.

Image Credit: Telentice & Absolute Sky

Via: RFID Solution

RWE can not forget the frightful memories of November 2005 when ice and snow damaged power towers in northern Germany causing people to live without power for many days.

Like RWE, most of the energy producers in Europe, Asia and Africa have no comprehensive maps of their networks.

It is also true that they can not depend upon GPS technology for the positive identification of towers.

Ulrich Becker of Germany based IT-Services and Solutions (it’), a subsidiary of IBM says, for producers without detailed maps, RFID technology can be highly reliable for the monitoring of power towers.

IT-Services and Solutions is developing an RFID application to enable the energy operators to keep track on their electricity networks and power lines to avoid deterioration or damage.

As per the RFID programme, active RFID tags would be embedded to the masts of the power lines. These long-range UHF tags will be read from a helicopter fixed with RFID interrogator antennas.

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Tracking inmates inside a prison or jail is always a daunting task. It has been a tough challenge for the jailers to monitor the movement of the prisoners and keep them away from inmate-fights that cause an unwanted noisy atmosphere in a jail.

Thus, it is more or less apparent that the modern jails have failed to create a strong security system despite implementing best practices methods and precautions.

To get rid of these problems, the Minnesota Department of Corrections is adopting an inmate-tracking system in one of the states security correctional facilities.

The tracking system is developed in line with active RFID tag technology that keeps a vigilant eye on the inmates and alerts if any unprecedented incident is occurring inside the jail.

The 1,300-inmate facility will implement equipment from Alanco Technologies and the task of deploying the RFID has been given to Crowley Co.

Under the new system, the inmates will be provided RIFD-attached wrist straps and guards pager like devices. The RFID tag sends radio signal in every two seconds to antennas positioned within the facility. In this way, both inmates and guards will be tracked in real time.

For more read this article.

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An RFID data management middleware solution has been developed by RFID which enables companies to gather and analyze data collected by RFID tags from different locations. Called the WebSphere RFID Premises Server V6.0, it is aimed at distribution, retail and pharma industry. One of the notable features is that it can be gelled with corporate data such as ERP systems and billing to offer a single view of business trends for the company. With it one can also manage data and RFID reader devices. Companies such as Arcom, Intermec, Tagsys, Motorola and a host of other companies have entered into an agreement with IBM to make their hardware compatible with the WebSphere Premises Server.

With the new product the company has ended the problems faced with regards to incompatible RFID readers. You can avail it as software, vendor solution or customized solution channel.

Via echannelline