RFID Gazette

Texas Instruments, Philips Semiconductors Escalate RFID Tag Production

Texas Instruments and Philips Semiconductors will begin RFID tag manufacturing in early 2005, joining companies such as SmartCode Corp, Alien Technologies, and Symbol Technologies in an industry-wide effort to ramp up RFID tag production.

According to Information Week:

Although Texas Instruments and Philips say they'll have no problem meeting demand in the years to come, they're waiting for EPCGlobal to finalize the next-generation, or Gen 2, specification for RFID chips. Debate lingers over when that specification will be ready.

"It's been postponed twice already," says Roy Apple, VP of business development for SmartCode.

Read more: RFID Tagmakers Escalate Production

ACLU Warns Americans of RFID Passports

The American Civil Liberties Union is claiming that the Bush administration ignored security and privacy warnings by experts when it decided to promote new passports that implement RFID technology. The ACLU is warning Americans that the new passports could make individuals susceptible to identity theft.

According to RCR Wireless News:

The ACLU said U.S. passports, which are currently being bid out for contracts and will contain a face-recognition biometric as well as the RFID chips, are being designed in accordance with a standard developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization. During the process of developing that standard the Bush administration successfully fought a battle to spurn security protections for these passports despite the warnings of security experts and the objections of other governments, according to the ACLU.

"It is shocking that the American government fought against basic security and privacy protections such as encryption for these wide-open passports," said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU's office here.

Read more: ACLU says RFID in passports leaves Americans vulnerable

CompTIA, AIM Global to Offer RFID Certification

Next Monday, CompTIA and AIM Global will announce plans to offer an RFID training and certification program. With mandates being issued by many retailers and the Department of Defense, there is a shortage of professionals trained in RFID.

According to eWeek:

Some manufacturers have been working with RFID internally—in what are known as "closed-loop systems"—for the past 10 or 12 years, AIM Global president Dan Mullen said, also during the interview.

"What you're seeing now is companies looking at RFID for supply chain initiatives," Mullen said. The U.S. Department of Defense and large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Albertsons all have issued mandates to their product suppliers to start using RFID in 2005.

Read more: Program to Offer RFID Training, Certification

Boeing, Airbus Use RFID to Track Airplane Parts

Boeing and Airbus are using RFID tags to track their airplane parts to improve maintenance and replacement services. Airbus will have passive RFID tags on all removable parts of its new A380 superjumbo.

According to Information Week:

Now Boeing has an RFID project under way in its 7E7 Dreamliner program launched in April, where time-controlled, life-limited parts and replaceable units have been identified with RFID "smart labels." These smart labels contain a microchip and an antenna and store data, including part and serial numbers, manufacturer codes, country of origin, date of installation and maintenance, and inspection information. This information can be particularly useful in the maintenance of airplanes because the service history of a part is stored on the RFID label as it goes thorough different stages of its life cycle, says Kenneth Porad, automated identification program manager at Boeing.

Read more: RFID Tags Fly With Airplane Parts

FDA Approves RFID SurgiChip Tag Surgical Marker

The FDA has approved the use of an RFID surgical marker to reduce the likelihood of surgery mistakes. The SurgiChip Tag Surgical Marker System is manufactured by SurgiChip Inc. of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

According to Medical News Today:

The patient's name and surgical site are printed on the SurgiChip tag. The inside of the tag is encoded with the date of surgery, type of procedure and name of surgeon. The tag is scanned with a desktop RFID reader for confirmation by the patient and is then placed in the patient's hospital file.

Read more: FDA Clears New Surgical Marker; Uses RFID to Protect Patients

Texas School District Tracks Kids with RFID

The Spring Independent School District in Spring, Texas, located just north of Houston, is using RFID badges to monitor the movements of 28,000 schoolchildren. Good luck ditching class now.

According to the New York Times:

When the district unanimously approved the $180,000 system, neither teachers nor parents objected, said the president of the board. Rather, parents appear to be applauding. "I'm sure we're being overprotective, but you hear about all this violence," said Elisa Temple-Harvey, 34, the parent of a fourth grader.

Read more: In Texas, 28,000 Students Test an Electronic Eye

Many Suppliers Won't Make Wal-Mart RFID Deadline

With Wal-Mart's January 1 deadline given to their top 100 suppliers to implement RFID looming just weeks away, ABI Research is estimating that only 30 will be compliant by then.

According to TelecomWeb:

According to Erik Michielsen, ABI Research's director of RFID and ubiquitous technologies, the fact that only around 30 percent of Wal-Mart's suppliers will have done full-scale RFID implementations by New Year’s Day isn't the issue. What's really important, he believes, is what the other 70 percent will do during the course of the coming year.

In a new RFID study produced by ABI, Michielsen says he doesn't believe that lack of money for integration trials has been the problem for most of these laggards.

Read more: Why Wal-Mart May Have To Scale Back RFID Plans

RFID Security a Major Issue

The bottom line results and ROI have been the main focus of RFID implementation thus far in many businesses. But security issues should remain a major concern.

According to Information Week:

A number of security measures, including ISO standard 15693 for data authentication, already are used in applications such as banking-card authorizations and building- access systems, and could play a role in RFID security, Sabetti says. But not all of them are being considered for adoption by the EPCglobal Network, which provides the infrastructure for sharing RFID-enabled information about products in the supply chain. EPCglobal maintains the electronic-product-code database, which identifies a manufacturer, product, and version and serial number; provides middleware specifications for data exchange; and administers the Object Name Service for matching an electronic product code to information about the associated item.

Read more: RFID's Security Challenge

Pfizer Combats Viagra Counterfeiting with RFID

Pfizer will add RFID tags to Viagra bottles and Purdue Pharma will do the same to bottles of their painkiller OxyContin to fight counterfeiting.

According to Information Week:

Pfizer Inc. plans to start shipping bottles of Viagra with radio frequency identification, or RFID, by the end of next year, Pfizer spokesman Bryant Haskins said.

"We're starting with Viagra because it is probably the best-known and one of the most counterfeited pharmaceutical products,'' Haskins said.

OxyContin is a powerful narcotic that has become a target for drug abusers who figured out how to use it for a quick, heroin-like high.The new bottles also should help authorities and the company in its battle against theft of OxyContin from pharmacies, Purdue Pharma security chief Aaron Graham said.

Read more: RFID To Fight Counterfeiting of Viagra, Painkilling Drugs

VDC: RFID Middleware Market to Take Off

The lack of RFID data synchonization and quality will prompt a huge surge in the RFID middleware market, according to a Venture Development Corporation research report.

According to Tekrati:

VDC surveyed organizations that currently use, plan to install, or are evaluating RFID technology. Overall, the survey respondents contend that as the supply chain moves faster, deductions and penalties from retailers will be greater. This, in turn, means clean data and data synchronization represent top priorities for any RFID implementation.

Read more: RFID Data Synchronization and Quality to Fuel RFID Middleware Market, Says VDC

VeriSign Teams with Nokia on RFID Phone

VeriSign is managing the EPC codes for partner Nokia, who in March introduced its new Nokia 5140 with RFID phone kit.

According to Information Week:

VeriSign Inc., a provider of infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, has teamed up with mobile phone maker Nokia Corp. to deliver mobile phones that can be used in conjunction with electronic product codes (EPCs), and to develop applications that will extend RFID beyond the supply chain.

In March, Nokia introduced the Nokia RFID Kit, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) phone with RFID reading capability. The kit includes the Nokia 5140 phone that initiates tasks when touching a smart object and transmits 13.56-MHz signals, which support International Standards Organization (ISO) standards.

Read more: VeriSign, Nokia Ally To Bring RFID Apps To Consumers

Zebra Technologies Delivers Multi-Protocol RFID Printer

Zebra has introduced their two new multi-protocol printers, the Zebra R110Xi and the Zebra R170Xi.

According to the press release at PR Newswire:

In addition to their built-in multi-protocol flexibility, these printer/encoders can be easily upgraded to include future protocols as existing standards evolve and new ones emerge. As a result customers' RFID investments are protected long-term against the uncertainty of changing protocols and standards.

Until now, many companies needing to comply with RFID mandates set to take effect January 1, 2005, were concerned that evolving standards would make current investments in RFID technology obsolete. The R110Xi and R170Xi eliminate that concern by being the first multi-protocol RFID printer/encoders to provide fully integrated support for Class 1, Class 0, Matrics' 0+ (read/write), ISO 18000-06B and Philips UCODE 1.19. Zebra also offers a simple, cost-free upgrade path for support of "Gen 2" and other future RFID protocols as they evolve.

Read more: Zebra Technologies Debuts Multi-Protocol RFID Printer/Encoders With Unparalleled Flexibility

DeltaTRAK RFID FlashLink Wireless System Humidity Sensor

DeltaTRAK has launched its new FlashLink Wireless System which will include humidity and temperature sensing RFID tags to monitor the levels of each during food production.

According to Food Production Daily:

The company claims that FlashLink Wireless System meets or exceeds HACCP, QA and regulatory guidelines for the maintenance of environmental monitoring records. FlashLink Wireless Manager software is FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant.

Three types of sensor designs are available: ambient temperature, ambient temperature and humidity, and product temperature penetration probe.

Read more: DeltaTRAK launches RFID humidity sensor

Videojet Introduces the Fast Tag Total RFID Tagging Solutions

Wood Dale, IL (USA) – November 7, 2004 – Videojet® Technologies Inc. (a Danaher company) introduces the Videojet FAST Tag RFID tag applicator, providing RFID tag application solutions to quickly and easily meet retailer mandates, including Wal-Mart® supplier specifications. Videojet, a world leader in product identification solutions, has joined with its sister company, Accu-Sort Systems Inc., to provide a total RFID application system for packaged goods manufacturers.

The FAST Tag encodes and applies RFID tags utilizing a Videojet label applicator, an Accu-Sort RFID reader, and a patent-pending reject identification and recovery system.

Intermec Suspends RFID Patents

Intermec has suspended licensing of its RFID technology for 60 days, allowing other vendors a chance to try their hand at experimentation. The decision should lead to more interoperability of RFID systems.

According to Wireless News Factor:

It is a significant development for the RFID industry, according to Yankee Group analyst Mike Dominy, because it will ultimately lead to the creation of a platform on which RFID software and hardware will be able to interoperate.

"It basically supports the development of the Gen 2 standard," he told NewsFactor.

Generation 2 is the candidate specification that the nonprofit standards development body, EPCglobal, would like to publish by year-end.

Read more: Intermec Decision Pushes RFID Forward

MasterCard OneSMART PayPass RFID Credit Card

In the United States, Mobil gas stations and McDonald's have contactless payment readers that employ RFID technology. Now in the UK, MasterCard is beginning to test its RFID credit card that uses Chip and PIN and RFID technology to enable contactless payments.

According to silicon.com:

The card is now ready for trialling at banks and shops, the company said. MasterCard is hoping the touch-and-pay system will take off in retailers where speed is of the essence - fast food restaurants or at motorway toll booths, for example.

A reader located on a retailer's till captures the card holder's details, with the card holder then approving the transaction in the same way they would with a Chip and PIN card, although for micro-payments - buying a 99p burger and the like - tapping in a PIN or signing a receipt can be skipped.

Read more: Chips ready to take their toll

Nokia RFID Phone Supports NFC

The new Nokia 3220 RFID phone supports near field communication (NFC), which allows users to receive information by tapping the product against an NFC-enabled advertisement, for instance.

According to ZDNet UK:

NFC is effectively an authentication mechanism that sets up a wireless connection so that information can be transmitted to a mobile handset.

A Nokia representative demonstrated that when a 3220 phone with the NFC shell attached is tapped against an NFC-enabled advert, a URL linking to a page with further information about the advert is received by the handset.

Other applications for NFC include swapping electronic business cards between phones, and using a phone to check in at an airport or hotel.

Read more: Nokia to launch RFID phone kit with a magic touch

Metro's Suppliers Gear up for RFID Deadline

By January 2006, German retailer Metro plans to have 300 suppliers sending RFID-tagged pallets and cases containing smart chips encoded with EPCs to its distribution centers.

According to Food Navigator:

Metro says that it is concentrating first on applying the new technology in logistics and storage management. Participating suppliers include Kraft Foods Deutschland, Maggi, Nestlé and Unilever Bestfoods Deutschland.

"The Metro Group is one of the first retailing companies to use RFID for the daily processes between the consumer goods and retailing industry," said Zygmunt Mierdorf, management board member of the Metro Group.

"We see our commitment as a vital contribution to the innovation offensive in retailing."

Read more: Metro's supplier RFID deadline arrives

RFID Costs and RFID Benefits

For small to midsize businesses, radio frequency identification does not necessarily add up. The benefits promised by RFID are not yet attainable with the cost of tags what they currently are.

Information Week reports:

First of all, the tags themselves are still somewhat pricey. "The tags cost at least 20 cents each, as opposed to mere pennies for standard labels," says Christine Overby, analyst with Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. "This can be significant, even for small to medium-sized manufacturers, if you ship in large volume."

Read more: RFID Utopia?