 | Thursday, May 8, 2008
Issue 835 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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Editor's Note: Today's top story is technology developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology which allows the testing of new tag prototypes more cheaply and effectively than existing tag design processes.
Wilson Sporting Goods, whose volleyballs were immortalized in the 2000 hit movie Cast Away, selected Zebra Technologies for its RFID labeling compliance program, the printer manufacturer announced this week. One of the notable characteristics of the deployment is its integration with the SAP Auto ID Infrastructure (AII). More details in the announcement.
Lastly, healthcare products company Covidien has received FDA approval for its RFID radiology solution, which helps ensure that patients are injected with the correct drug and dosage during CT imaging procedures (CAT scanning). It is the only such solution in North America, according to the company. |
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| RFID Tags & Labels | | - Ferroxtag HF tags: Smart on Metal! (site) | | - Confidence in RFID - Confidex tags and tickets (site) | | | RTLS & Active RFID | | 
Sponsored by Ekahau | |
| | - Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how! (site) | | | Products & Services | | - PCB Tracking & Visibility Solution from Omnitrol Networks (site) | | - Employees steal over $1 billion per week from employers (site) | | | Upcoming Events | | - AWA PABS08 N. America Conference, Sept 11-12, Chicago, IL (site) | | - AWA PABS08 Asia Conference, Dec 4-5 - Hong Kong, China (site) | | - European Supply Chain & Logistics, 13-15 May, Germany (site) | | - SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008, June 19-21, Guangzhou, China (site) | | | Employment | | - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site) | | | Research & Whitepapers | | - RFID Marketing Strategies Report (site) | |
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New Method Promises Cheaper RFID Tag Development
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology this week announced the development of what they call an "RFID testbed," which will allow the testing of new tag prototypes more cheaply and effectively than existing tag design processes. RFID Update spoke with Gregory Durgin, assistant professor at George Tech's school of electrical and computer engineering, about the testbed system and its implications for new tag development.
At the core of the system is a chip emulator, which is a piece of hardware that emulates the signals of an RFID tag chip. An antenna design is attached to the emulator, then stimulated by an RFID reader to generate a signal. That signal -- which is the same signal that a real RFID tag with that antenna design would generate -- is measured and analyzed, including how it reacts to the physical environment. That process is then repeated for any number of antenna designs, as engineers improve and iterate them in pursuit of a final product. (Recall that the chip is the tag brain, where its storage and functionality reside. The antenna is the skinny coil that typically runs along the tag perimeter and gives it a distinctive look. The antenna design determines how the RF signal is received and transmitted back to the reader.)
According to Durgin, this new antenna prototyping method is very different from how RFID tag designs are currently developed. The typical method is computer simulation, in which engineers design and test tag prototypes using special software. "Hardware emulation [the testbed] can test things that software simulation cannot," said Durgin. "By taking a holistic approach, we can wring benefit out of the system that you can't get by just using a chip design software package."
Furthermore, if tag designers want to physically test a new chip design, they must spend tens of thousands of dollars having prototypes produced by a semiconductor manufacturer. "With our testbed, you don't have to spend $30,000 or $100,000 every time you want to test a new type of signaling protocol."
While there has been some interest from prospective investors in commercializing the technology, the researchers are primarily focused on collaborating with industry to refine and improve it. Durgin noted that they have been approached by manufacturers to use the testbed technology to enhance existing tag products. "Recently we've had a couple companies ask us to take a look at retrofitting their current RFID tag products to turn them into sensors." The testbed enabled them to quickly develop an experimental prototype that might otherwise have been prohibitively expensive to try. "We could mock up a sort of unorthodox tag for them really quickly, and take a look at what kind of signal it generated."
The testbed was developed with funding from the National Science Foundation. While it currently works at 915 MHz (the UHF range), the researchers have their eyes on developing antennas for use at much higher frequencies, like 5.7 GHz. In fact, the long-term goal of the grant is to explore and harness RF at those high frequencies. "This testbed is just the beginning of our ability to characterize the performance of different RFID tag antennas in a real channel and push these technologies to higher frequencies, longer read ranges, and overall higher reliability," Durgin was quoted in the announcement.
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| RFID Tags & Labels | Ferroxtag HF tags: Smart on Metal!
Ferroxtag is a new family of HF RFID tags suitable for operation on metallic surfaces. Ferroxtag's special ferrite antenna was developed using Ferroxcube's years of experience in ferrite technology. The high performance antenna means longer read range with a smaller tag. Visit www.ferroxtag.com | Confidence in RFID - Confidex tags and tickets
The challenges of various industries lead Confidex to develop a comprehensive offering of special tags and labels. Confidex tags are used in a variety of applications ranging from tracking items in the retail supply chain to automotive manufacturing and petrochemical installations. Confidex designs and manufactures contactless tickets for public transport. Visit www.confidex.fi | | | RTLS & Active RFID | Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how!
Ekahau RTLS (Real-Time Location System) automatically tracks assets and people via your existing Wi-Fi network. Control costs and improve asset management with Ekahau. For more information, visit us at www.ekahau.com. | | | Products & Services | PCB Tracking & Visibility Solution from Omnitrol Networks
Off-the-shelf solution provides automated real-time visibility and complete electronic pedigree for traceability on parts and WIP providing real-time dashboards, alerts and reports for shop-floor management. The pedigree information is automatically programmed into Texas Instruments' RFID tag for access to critical data without the need for connection to a back-end database. Learn more. | Employees steal over $1 billion per week from employers
the American Management Association reports. 95% of businesses are victimized by employee theft. Managers are reluctant to ask questions, because trusted employees may feel offended, leaving business owners in a difficult situation. What can you do? Nox: Intelligent Perimeter Defense from Simply RFID provides advanced security and protection for business assets. | | | Upcoming Events | AWA PABS08 N. America Conference, Sept 11-12, Chicago, IL
AWA is organizing the Product Authentication & Brand Security Conference 2008 on September 11-12 in Chicago, IL. The event includes presentations and panel discussions with brand owners, legal authorities, associations, converters and suppliers; also networking sessions, a supplier forum, a social program and more. Find more on the program here. | AWA PABS08 Asia Conference, Dec 4-5 - Hong Kong, China
AWA presents the Asian Product Authentication & Brand Security Conference 2008, to be held on 4 & 5 December in Hong Kong, China. PABS08 Asia focuses on the threats specific to the Asia Pacific region, various elements of IP Theft, and leading-edge solutions. Find more on the program here. | European Supply Chain & Logistics, 13-15 May, Germany
Bringing together Europe's leading providers of supply chain management to evaluate best practices and to move the supply chain agenda into the boardroom. Also, featuring the AMR Research Strategy Session: What makes a supply chain world class in today's global market? More information here: www.supplychain.eu.com | SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008, June 19-21, Guangzhou, China
As one of the earliest, most specialized and authoritative exhibitions in China, approved and supported directly from State Ministry, the 8th SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008 will present you the impressive up-dated development and market of RFID technology in rising China. To know more, please go to www.scan-china.com. | | | Employment | RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting
Whether your company is looking for the best RFID talent or you have the best RFID talent and are looking for the best RFID employer, RFID Recruiters offers the most focused approach to your objective. To learn how the RFID industry and the RFID job market are evolving, visit www.rfidrecruiters.com | | | Research & Whitepapers | RFID Marketing Strategies Report
Thirty-nine pages of original research on RFID audience perceptions, including 30+ figures of tactics, content & messaging, and recommendations to guide marketing strategy. Also, Top-10 RFID company rankings based on 550+ survey respondents. View the executive summary free, with Top-3 sample rankings. Only $495 Individual License or $795 Corporate License. Available now |
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