STMicroelectronics' NFC Transceiver Powers New NFC/RFID UART Module

An NFC transceiver from STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has been selected by Shanghai Stollmann Communication Technology Co. Ltd., a leading protocol stack provider in NFC and Bluetooth, for its new NFC/RFID UART module. The new module combines a small form factor[2] with robust performance and optimized power consumption, allowing manufacturers to develop RF reader systems for paired data exchange, authentication, and identification applications in Healthcare, Industrial, Home appliances, and Consumer electronics.

Zebra's Sled Reader Enables UHF RFID Tag Reads Via Smartphone

Zebra Technologies recently announced an RFID sled known as the RFD8500 that will enable users of smartphones and other mobile devices to read EPC ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags by connecting their Android or iOS devices to the reader via Bluetooth. Zebra has already tested and approved the RFD8500 for use with Apple's iPhone 6, iPad and iPod Touch, as well as Zebra's Android-based mobile devices, such as the TC55 and MC40. The company also expects to eventually test and approve the RFD8500 for use with Android smartphones and tablets, according to Chris Schaefer, Zebra's market-development senior director, following the RFD8500's anticipated availability in September.

DealerSocket Teams with MyDealerLot to Leverage RFID Tools

DealerSocket highlighted a new integration with MyDealerLot (MDL), a provider in the application of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies for automated guest recognition and vehicle tracking. The company explained this integration enhances the customer experience within the sales and service departments. The tool can strategically alert the sales and service staff that a customer has arrived, allowing them the opportunity to greet the customer and see if there is an opportunity for a trade-in.

Design-your-own clothing range features QR codes for people with special needs

When a person with special needs finds themselves lost or disorientated, often they are unable to communicate their problem to the people around them. If I Need Help is a non-profit organization that creates wearable products with QR code ID patches that let the public know that the wearer might need assistance.

ICICI Bank largest launches NFC-based mobile payments in India

ICICI Bank, India's largest private sector bank, in arrangement with Tech Mahindra Limited, announced the launch of a contactless payment service based on the Near Field Communications, according to a press release.  Called "Tap-n-Pay," the service enables any consumer to make over-the-counter payments either with an NFC-enabled tag or mobile phone at a merchant's point-of-sale device.

Taiwan mobile payments ecosystem lacking despite mature NFC supply chain

Despite the availability of NFC smartphones, NFC IC cards, card readers and NFC antennas locally, development of a mobile payments ecosystem is still struggling, according to industry sources. Local telecom carriers and banks have not yet reached a consensus, and the government's promotion of NFC applications has so far not been active enough, the sources explained.

We Need To Get The Internet Of Things Right

It seems everything is connected to the Internet: socks, shoes, shirts, hats, glasses, appliances, beds, homes, drones, cars and even diapers. Yet, for the Internet of Things (IoT) to play a role in shaping our future, we need to get a few things right. The statement “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” has never been more applicable. At the events and conferences I’ve attended this year, it’s clear that while everything is getting connected, few things are actually connected.
Some of you may recall the term “network of networks.” We are in real danger of making the same mistake again — only this time on a massive scale.

RAIN RFID tag leverages cryptographic security

NXP Semiconductors’ UCODE DNA is one of the first UHF RAIN RFID tags to combine long-range read performance with cryptographic authentication, giving developers contactless performance and security in a single IC. The tag IC can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as electronic road tolling, electronic vehicle registration, license plate authentication, access control, asset tracking, brand protection, and special service offerings at large-scale venues.

Using RFID Technology to Ensure the Traceability of French Plasma for Fractionation

The LFB group, Biolog-id and the French Blood Transfusion Service (Etablissement Français du Sang/EFS) have announced the introduction of an RFID1 traceability system developed by Biolog-id for LFB. All bags containing plasma for fractionation leaving EFS centres will henceforth incorporate RFID chips, which will facilitate their registration at LFB, the only company fractionating this plasma.

The system developed by Biolog-id for tracking and tracing blood products using RFID, has been selected by LFB for use in managing, storing and monitoring all bags containing plasma for fractionation, that leave EFS centres in France2, to be fractionated by LFB in order to produce medicinal products. Biolog-id is the first operator in the world to offer this kind of overall traceability solution for blood products. And its solution has been selected by LFB for tracking all EFS bags containing plasma for fractionation.

Introducing the system is a joint initiative involving LFB, Biolog-id and the EFS, the solution having been co-developed by Biolog-id and LFB.

RFID labelling was authorised by the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament/ANSM) on July 26, 2012, and the technology will henceforth be used in all 14 regional branches of the EFS in mainland France.

Chipless tracker could transform barcode industry

Barcodes on packaged goods could soon be a thing of the past with the rapid expansion of chipless tags, and Monash University researchers are at the forefront of developing this technology.
A research team lead by Dr Nemai Karmakar, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, have long been developing chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be printed directly onto products and packaging - including postal items, drugs and books - making it cheaper, smaller and faster than any other tracking system on the market.

Now, the team have developed fully printable tags for metals and liquids including water bottles and soft-drinks cans. Until now, this hasn’t been possible because the metal and liquids interfere with the technology. The tag can be printed with an inkjet printer and can be read when they are attached to reflective surfaces such as metal cans and water bottles.

Dr Karmakar said the team was believed to be the first to develop fully printable chipless RFID tags on paper and plastics, and the technology could revolutionise the multi-billion dollar RFID market.
“The fact that chipless tags be printed directly onto products and packaging means they are far more reliable, smaller and cost effective than any other barcoding system,” Dr Karmakar said.
“The new chipless RFID technology is a high data capacity mm-wave barcode system that operates at 60 GHz mm-wave signal. This means it is much smaller than any other commercially available chipless RFID tags, however it can still contain a high amount of data and information.

“The main challenge that we have overcome is to transfer the technology to paper and plastic while retaining the required printing resolution. Uniquely, the 60 GHz mm-wave tag can handle printing errors and surface variations. It’s very promising indeed in its ability to revolutionise the multi-billion dollar RFID market.”

Chipless RFID market trends

Growing need for efficient management of supply chain operations is expected to fuel chipless RFID market growth over the forecast period. Increasing adoption in applications that require low product value and level of functionality is expected to drive the market.

This is mainly due to the low memory capacity and costs of these RFID tags. Potential opportunities in niche market applications such as banking cards; e-passport and item level tagging for various products is expected to favorably impact RFID growth through the forecast period.

Increased demand for chipless RFID to provide various solutions such as anti-counterfeiting, asset tracking, in order to make systems more productive and avoid the shrink in retail is expected to be the key growth factor for the chipless RFID market
Rising demand for secure smart card system is expected to increase market penetration. Data accuracy, compatibility with the existing infrastructure, easy manufacturing technology and low costs are some of the factors expected to drive the market.

Seattle company buys Bend copier business

Synergy Office Systems, which has supplied the Bend area with Canon copiers and other supplies since 1989, was sold last week to Copiers Northwest, a Seattle-based copier and printer company. Bob Browning, the owner of Synergy Office Systems, said that he had been approached by several companies looking to buy the business in recent years, but that this deal, which he said was completed March 31, was the first that made sense. Synergy Office Systems, located in the Deschutes Business Center on Empire Drive, is an authorized distributor of Canon and Samsung copiers, scanners and fax machines. The company also offers maintenance for laser printers and technical support for all their products.

Disney made a 3D fabric printer that can put tech into dolls

Disney just invented a 3D printer that cuts layers of fabric with a laser, then adheres them together in layers to make soft and flexible fabric models, essentially dolls. The allure of the printer isn’t its speed, but the control you have over the model’s flexibility. By scoring or cutting certain interior layers of the model’s fabric, you can control the direction the model “wants” to bend and have it resist being manipulated in the opposite direction. If you’re making a toy of a human, for example, the doll could bend forward at the waist more easily than backwards. If you’re making costuming or decortion for clothing, the fabric could bend at the joint of the body but hold its shape elsewhere.

Jawbone UP4 to Feature NFC Mobile Payment Functionality

This summer, the future of mobile payments will arrive on your wrist. Today, Jawbone announced that its next generation of Up fitness bands will include NFC functionality, allowing you to make purchases with an American Express account with a simple tap. The new device, the splash-resistant Jawbone UP4, will track your activity, calories burned and offer sleep and heart monitoring. It will also have an NFC chip built in, which can be paired to an existing American Express card through the Jawbone smartphone app.

Researchers use passive UHF RFID tags to detect how people interact with objects

Disney Research has demonstrated that battery-free, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be used to cheaply and unobtrusively determine how people use and interact with daily objects, enabling new types of interactive play, smart homes and work environments, and new methods for studying consumer shopping habits. Disney Research has demonstrated that battery-free, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be used to cheaply and unobtrusively determine how people use and interact with daily objects, enabling new types of interactive play, smart homes and work environments, and new methods for studying consumer shopping habits.

German carriers and retailers promote NFC mobile payments in Berlin

The largest NFC mobile payment initiative in Germany to date has launched in the capital Berlin, as the country’s three mobile network operators, Vodafone Germany, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica, team up with six major retail groups to update more than 2,000 point-of-sale terminals to support NFC payments in nearly 500 stores.

Janam Introduces First Truly Portable Automatic Equipment Identification RFID Tag Reader

Janam Technologies LLC, a leading provider of rugged mobile computers that scan barcodes and communicate wirelessly recently announced the launch of its XM2-RFID for Rail mobile computer. A fully rugged, highly capable, handheld RFID reader, the XM2-RFID for Rail offers best-in-class read range and battery life and is the first fully integrated handheld computer to deliver the ability to read Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) RFID tags to the palm of the hand.

The XM2-RFID for Rail provides the power and performance required by mobile workers in freight and rail operations. With unmatched versatility and a lightweight ergonomic form factor, it is specially-designed to read the AEI RFID tags required on all railcars in North America and widely used globally, allowing rail and intermodal companies to track and monitor equipment effectively. Lighter and more affordable than competitive solutions, the 13-ounce XM2-RFID for Rail mobile computer reads AEI tags from at least one meter (3.3 feet) away, and after five hours of continuous use and more than 40,000 tag reads, a customer’s unit recently still had 20% capacity remaining in its battery.

N.C. State researchers: RFID tags could save farmers cash

Five electrical engineers say they’ve found a way to make North Carolina dairy farmers more profitable – and it starts with a small RFID tag on a cow’s ear. The researchers, part of an undergraduate design class in electrical and computer engineering at N.C. State University, are using the RFID tags to tackle a tricky problem: How to improve an already cash-strapped industry with technology. Researcher Anthony Laws admits the trackers will cost farmers cash up front. The entire system would cost about $3,000 to implement, and he knows it’s cash not all farmers are willing to spend.

Jamison RFID and Active Identity Announce Strategic Partnership to Provide RFID Smart Portals

Jamison RFID (a division of Jamison Door Company), a manufacturer and integrator of rugged, purpose-built RFID portals and communications enclosures, announced a new partnership and solution set with Active Identity, of Fort Myers, Florida.  The companies will focus on delivering Smart RFID solutions in areas such as Manufacturing, Distribution, Healthcare and Office environments.
  
Jamison RFID's protected, fully-functional, all-in-one RFID Smart Portals and read stations are plug-and-play, which eliminates the hassles associated with deploying RFID solutions in busy environments. Based on customers' vertical application needs, Jamison can provide a Smart RFID portal that is ready to read tags as soon as it is plugged in. 
  
Jamison's new RFID Smart Portal will integrate Active Identity's Envoy. This integrated RFID Appliance will enable the companies to provide customers with an easy-to-use and mobile solution for a wide variety of applications.  Envoy offers reader libraries, device libraries, logical devices, encoding/decoding, activity building and monitoring, graphical workflow design and a management dashboard console available both through Windows and Smart Phone platforms

Terso Solutions Takes RFID on the Road

The RFID tracking technology that revolutionized medical consignment inventory management in clinical and lab settings is now available to manage field inventory as well. Terso Solutions is debuting its new RFID Mobile Case to the industry at LogiMed 2015.

The Terso Solutions RFID Mobile Case solves many long-standing issues with managing field inventory including tracking and loss prevention, lags in invoicing paperwork, prevention of stock outs, expired materials and unnecessary shipping costs. With real-time visibility into the kits in the field, Terso Solutions is providing a way for medical device manufacturers to bring order to the chaos of field inventory management.

The RFID Mobile Case has Terso Solutions' patented RFID technology integrated into the kit itself. When a field rep opens the case and removes the product, the transaction is recorded in real time. The automated inventory management system requires no manual tracking, no barcodes and no scanners.

"Our customers have been looking for a solution to field inventory management. They wanted to know where each piece in the field was physically located; they wanted to account for sales and decrease loss," explained Joe Pleshek, President and CEO of Terso Solutions. "Terso's RFID Mobile Case provides all of that and more. Every piece in the kit, whether added or removed, along with each kit's location is recorded in real time."

For field reps this means that sales are instantly recorded, eliminating paperwork lag times. For consignment applications, the RFID Mobile Case can be used to trigger automated invoicing. The automated inventory tracking also eliminates unnecessary shipping costs and facilitates rep-to-rep transfers. Each rep can identify the closest needed device, which may be across town, eliminating a shipment from a distribution center.

Like all of Terso's RFID products, the RFID Mobile Case uses open RFID standards and the open Jetstream Cloud API. You are not locked into or limited by closed loop systems and can operate your business your own way. And as with all Terso Solutions RFID innovations, the Mobile Case is backed by 24/7 monitoring and support by a global support team who monitors all kits in the field to ensure that they are functioning properly. Terso will notify customers of any issues that might impact product integrity including temperature and products nearing expiration.

2015 Analysis of the Global RFID Market in Retail

The market for RFID in retail is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.9% between 2013 and 2020. Historically, the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in the retail industry has been slower than expected. Low awareness levels about return on investment (ROI), skepticism, and concerns regarding privacy were among the key challenges for RFID adoption. During the past year, retailers slowly started to witness the benefits in particular business cases for RFID use. Hence, the future of RFID adoption looks bright. Rising interests in omni-channel retailing lays greater emphasis on efficient inventory management, loss prevention, and shrinkage. Hence, omni-channel retailing is and will continue to be the key driver for RFID adoption.

Jetstar uses RFID for safety checks

Australasia’s Jetstar Airways has drastically cut the time required to check on-board safety equipment by using a new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) solution. “We have a range of on-board safety equipment that must be regularly checked and tested by our engineers and our previous manual inspections could take up to 10 man-hours,” says David Lau, Jetstar Australia and New Zealand head of engineering.

Smart bags license to issue Visa prepaid cards

The flagship brand of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) has become the first non-financial company in Southeast Asia to secure a license to issue Visa-branded prepaid cards and offer money transfer services. In a statement, Smart Communications Inc said its Smart e-Money can also acquire merchant transactions and offer other Visa Direct products and services.

MCI for RFID Tags to Exorcise Ghost Faculty

With the Medical Council of India stressing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags on the teaching staff to track them, the medical colleges in the government and private sector in the state will find it hard to recruit “ghost” faculty members. Ghost lecturers, as the name suggests, are those who do not really exist but are showcased on the college payroll at the time of annual inspections. Many medical colleges resort to such practices to get approval from the MCI for increasing the number of seats.

RR Donnelley CustomWave brand of RFID printed electronics

Leveraging its proprietary Printed Electronics platform, RR Donnelley's CustomWave RFID Solutions offer complete smart label solutions beginning with in-house RFID antenna design and performance testing and including printed inlay manufacturing, custom label and tag creation, fully automated quality control, and global distribution and fulfillment services. By customizing the RFID antenna and label/tag characteristics to the application, RR Donnelley's CustomWave RFID Solutions help customers improve their RFID return on investment through better overall performance.

CustomWave RFID Solutions feature the ability to print antennas on a variety of materials, including directly onto a label. Eliminating the plastic inlay and printing antennas directly onto label stock accommodates up to 30% more labels per roll and requires fewer rolls and packaging materials than traditional plastic inlay-based smart labels. Reducing the materials and the process steps enables CustomWave RFID Solutions to provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for smart label production.

SRTC offers smart cards for hassle-free travel

Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has issued a smart card that will double up as concession-pass-cum-cashless shopping card. Based on radio frequency identifier, the smart card has a built-in electronic chip that stores data about the validity period of the pass, travel destinations permitted and type of the pass. "Bus conductors will be able to validate the card through hand-held electronic ticketing machine (ETiM)," said an official and added that the smart card could also be used as a shopping card.

General Steel's JV Launches UHF RFID Tag and Cloud-based Internet-of-Things Platform

General Steel Holdings, Inc. announced its majority-owned joint venture, Tianjin General Shengyuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd. ("General Shengyuan IoT") launched a new UHF RFID tag for iron and steel, and a cloud-based Internet-of-Things platform for steel logistics and bulk commodity management.

General Shengyuan IoT's UHF RFID tag is fully compatible with the Electronic Product Code (EPC) tag data standard, which coupled with its cloud-based Internet-of-Things platform, enable steel mills to quickly and effectively enhance the efficiency and accuracy of logistic planning and management. The cloud-based platform integrates the UHF RFID tag with sensors, satellite communication, data collection devices, wireless vehicle terminals and handsets to aggregate real-time data transmissions and provide long-distance tracking and management of bulk commodities. The platform also integrates with Effective Management Systems (EMS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for real-time inventory management. The Company has initiated internal procedures for patents application of the iron and steel UHF RFID tag and Internet-of-Things platform.

Henry Yu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Steel commented, "We appreciate the high-efficiency efforts of General Shengyuan IoT, which quickly launched its first major product less than two months after its inception in February. This new product combines the expert team's RFID technology and General Steel's vertical expertise to tap China's huge market potential for steel logistics management. We are pleased with our progress in business transformation, and remain confident that the joint venture will drive greater synergies and efficiency enhancements soon."

Transit smart card could launch this fall

Calgary Transit users could see a limited rollout of the long-delayed smart card fare system this fall, the city’s transit boss said Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the launch of the city’s mobile transit app, Calgary Transit director Doug Morgan said the Connect system is still in its testing phase. When it’s launched, the smart card will replace paper monthly passes and, eventually, paper tickets.

Retail RFID Gets Real

The “Deflate-Gate” scandal that swirled around quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots cast worldwide attention on the seemingly mundane process of keeping track of game balls. Just a week earlier, another former NFL legend, Emmitt Smith, was at the National Retail Federation (NRF) show promoting a technology that could help: RFID. Smith is founder and chairman of a mobile identification company called PROVA with a solution called Gametag, an embedded NFC (a form of RFID) tag used to track a ball’s history and protect against counterfeit.

Global RFID Market Valued at US$10.4 billion in 2015

The early 2000s saw the emergence of RFID as the best technology not only in the supply chain but also in a host of other areas. This led several organisations to investing in research and development projects for deriving the maximum benefit as promised by RFID, with a few succeeding and many others failing. The buildup surrounding RFID began to wane and reached a stage wherein the previous proponents of this technology started adopting a wait and watch strategy in the anticipation that RFID would eventually address the demands required of it.

Retail, healthcare and manufacturing constitute some of the most rapidly expanding sectors that would be instrumental in propelling demand for RFID technology in the years to come. While the general consensus among experts has been a surfeit of RFID adoption across the board, the actual scenario has been one of a bit slow and steady growth. Coupled with wider adoption rates, the factor of innovative technologies will play a major role in making RFID more reliable and cost-effective for a host of application areas.

The global markets for the above mentioned RFID product segments and the application areas are analyzed in terms of value in USD. Automotive constitutes the largest end use sector with an estimated US$3.5 billion in 2015 while Healthcare & Medical is projected to be the fastest growing end use sector with 2014-2020 CAGR of 21% to touch US$620 million by 2020. The global market for RFID is estimated to be US$10.4 billion in 2015.

RFID product segments analyzed in this report include RFID Tags, RFID Readers, RFID Software & Middleware and Services. The report also analyzes the RFID applications areas comprising Automotive / Transportation, Finance, Healthcare & Medical, Land- Sea & Postal Logistics, Livestock Tracking & Farming, Manufacturing, Retail and Other Applications. The report reviews, analyses and projects the global market for RFID product segments and end-use applications areas for global and the regional markets including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America and Rest of World. The regional markets further analyzed for 14 independent countries across North America - The United States, Canada and Mexico; Europe - France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom; Asia-Pacific - Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea; and South America - Argentina and Brazil.

This 481 page market research report includes 231 charts (includes a data table and graphical representation for each chart), supported with meaningful and easy to understand graphical presentation, of market numbers. This report profiles 35 key global players and 37 major players across North America; Europe; and Asia-Pacific. The research also provides the listing of the companies engaged in research and development, manufacturing and supply of RFID products and services. The global list of companies covers addresses, contact numbers and the website addresses of 326 companies.

Six things you should know about the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is already well and truly here with heady expectations abound as to what we can expect in the coming decade. It being a relatively new concept albeit being built on tried and trusted foundations, that of the world of embedded. There is still plenty to learn about what it is, how much it is worth, and how drastically it will change the world in which we live in today and for the next decade at least.

Broken NFC terminals, lack of retail support stifling Apple Pay usage

A new study says Apple Pay's early adopters have had trouble finding places to use the NFC mobile payment app. Apple Pay got off to a hot start after its debut in October, attracting 11% of all credit card-using households and converting 66% of iPhone 6 users in its first four months on the market, according to an ongoing study of more than 3,000 credit card users conducted by market research firm Phoenix Marketing International.

RFID Grows from Common Sense Logistics to Potential Life-Saving Equipment

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) started out as a widespread way for logistics and supply chain companies to be able to track shipments. As research has become more sophisticated, the ways that RFID is used today have morphed to an unbelievable degree. When Mario Cardullo and Charles Watson invented the electronic technology in 1973, they had no idea where it would lead. Most people who use RFID technology don’t even realize it. For instance, how many times have you used your E-Z Pass to avoid stopping to pay tolls?

Vodafone Adds Bank Cards to its NFC-based Mobile Wallet Service

Vodafone has inked a new agreement with Visa and Carta Worldwide to enable bank card payments via its Vodafone Wallet service in European markets, from the second quarter of 2015. The new service which requires a Vodafone NFC SIM will allow Vodafone customers to add bank cards to their Vodafone Wallet and use smartphones to pay for goods and services at contactless terminals. The service will kick-off on Android smartphones, said the company.

DTC to introduce smart card on lines of Metro soon

Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will soon introduce smart card facility on the lines of Metro Railway for travel in its buses. According to DTC officials, the tender for electronic ticketing machines (ETM), on which a passenger will only be required to swipe the monthly bus pass, will be floated in the next couple of days. The monthly bus pass is currently made on paper with DTC watermark at designated pass centres, which is very time- consuming for commuters.

RFID Tracks Diamonds, Jewelry for IGC Brand Services

With the help of radio frequency identification technology to manage the movements of its diamonds and jewelry throughout its own offices, as well as to third-party service providers and stores, jewelry and diamond wholesaler IGC Brand Services has been able to increase the volume of products it sells, as well as reduce the amount of inventory required onsite. At any given time, the Chicago-based company tracks more than 10,000 diamonds and other pieces of jewelry, valued at approximately $5 million, as those products are moved through its offices and workshop, to outside vendors for custom production work, to retailers or consignment shops in the United States and Canada, and sometimes back to its own facility.

HID buys Quantum Secure, Touch ID enabled mobile access, NFC certification

HID Global announced that it has acquired Quantum Secure, a provider of software solutions for managing identities, access compliance and provisioning access within physical security infrastructure. Quantum Secure’s SAFE software suite provides an integrated physical security policy platform to manage secure identities, compliance and operational analytics across multiple sites and systems.

RFID for Surgical Instrument Tracking Saves Estimated 31,000 Hours for Rigshospitalet

Read-on-metal UHF RFID tags from Xerafy proved their suitability and value for surgical instrument tracking during an 18-month trial at New Rigshospitalet hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. Tracking surgical instruments with RFID could save the hospital 31,000 hours a year in operating room procedures alone while also improving patient safety and providing additional time saving and infection control benefits during sterilization and other processes. Dr. Henrik Eriksen, project director for the RFID trial, announced the results last month during a press conference in Copenhagen.

 When surgical trays were prepared for use in the operating room (OR), an RFID reader was used to automatically identify and record all the items that were contained in the tray. The trays were read at several more process points before entering the OR to make sure counts were accurate. Trays were read again before they left the OR after surgery to make sure no surgical instruments were missing, and were read at the hospital’s central sterile processing department to document the sterilization process for each item.

 RFID readers can simultaneously identify the 60 to 80 individual items that a surgical tray typically contains. Rigshospitalet previously identified and verified tray contents by bar code scanning.

 "RFID UHF technology provides unparalleled speed and accuracy advantages compared to bar code and other RFID technologies for tracking surgical instruments in sterilization processes and operating rooms," said Dr. Eriksen, "Rigshospitalet is characterized by a very high quality and strong focus on patient safety, and our leadership in technology allows us to also realize the cost benefits of tracking medical devices and the workflow optimization associated with them."

 Rigshospitalet tested the “Tag, Track and Trace” (TTT) surgical instrument tracking system developed by Caretag Surgical, a global RFID solutions company headquartered in Copenhagen. Xerafy’s read-on-metal Dash XS passive UHF RFID tags were attached to a variety of surgical instruments to support item-level tracking and traceability processes. Surgical supply vendors that participated in the trial attached the Dash XS tags to their products using permanent adhesive developed by Dana Lim A/S.

During the trial Rigshospitalet learned that the small tags did not impact the balance of instruments or how surgeons used them. The high-quality tags withstood more than 1,000 autoclave sterilization processes, which most tags could not do because they cannot survive the temperatures, harsh chemicals and pressure.

Xerafy Dash XS series tags comply with ISO 18000-6C and GS1 EPCglobal Gen 2 passive UHF standards, are IP68 rated and can withstand autoclave sterilization. They measure just 12.3 by 3 by 2.2 mm (0.5 by 0.13 by 0.09 inch), weigh 0.44 g (0.016 oz.) and have read range up to 1 m (3.3 ft.) with a handheld reader.

The trial was considered successful because it validated the business case for tracking medical devices at the item level and showed RFID could increase patient safety, improve the traceability and management of surgical instruments and reduce cost with better efficiency and productivity.

The trial also showed RFID tagging together with Caretag’s Tag, Track and Trace system can save time enough time for hospitals to increase productivity. Approximately 75,000 surgeries are performed each year at Rigshospitalet, and Dr. Eriksen estimates the RFID system saves 31,000 hours at that volume.

The time savings documented above are specific for operating room processes and do not include additional time savings at sterilization centers and other inherent benefits from improved traceability, such as better infection prevention, improved patient safety, inventory savings and reduced asset losses.

British Startup Rolls Out RFID Bike-Safety System

Croydon, in the southern part of London, has the largest population of any of the city's boroughs. With redevelopment plans currently in the works, it expects its numbers to continue growing, leading not only to vehicular traffic congestion but also to growing hazards for bicyclists. Bikes must share the roads with cars, trucks and buses, and can often be overlooked by motorists, especially those in large vehicles. To address the risk of bicycle-vehicle collisions, Croydon's council has begun testing an RFID-based safety-awareness system to help truck drivers identify a bicycle and its approximate location if it comes in the vicinity of their vehicles.

5 Stylish RFID-Blocking Wallets

Paranoid Privacy geeks have never been comfortable with those tap-to-pay credit cards and certain office-access cards that many of us have to carry, because they have tiny antennas that can convey data (usually encrypted) over low-power radio waves. One way to jam that transmission? Using a radio-frequency-blocking wallet, which are commonly lined with a special foil. Although they were once strictly available in stodgy neutrals, these niche wallets have fashionably evolved to satisfy everyone on the sartorial spectrum, whether you’re looking for something subtle, such as Tumi’s in navy nylon, or statement, as in relative newcomer Kena Kai’s in croc-printed leather.

MasterCard qualifies firms' PVT product for EMV and NFC

Barnes International and FIME, two EMV chip testing providers, have announced that their jointly developed personalization validation tool has achieved official qualification against MasterCard’s latest requirements, version 8.1, according to a press release. The test tool is intended to help international issuers, card manufacturers and personalization bureaus to speed up certification and launch of their contact and contactless EMV card and NFC payments projects, according to the announcement.

Can Mattresses Be RFID-Tagged?

There are a few companies that have tagged mattresses. You would need a fairly durable tag, such as HID Global's SlimFlex. It could be attached inside the mattress and should be readable with little problem. You might consider attaching four tags, one on each side, and writing the same ID number to each. That way, the tag would be readable regardless of the orientation of the mattress. This would cost a little more, but the ease of reading the tag might make it worth the added expense.

Smart card system for West Midlands rail network

A smart card system will be extended across the West Midlands rail network, the Government has announced. The Swift card, which can be topped up cash, will be rolled out across the region as part of a £620,000 investment over the next two years. Passengers will be able to use the smart cards at the redeveloped Birmingham New Street from September. The expansion for smart ticketing, which is currently used on buses across the region, was announced by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer.

Smart NFC Payment Wearable Devic

Sharkey is a smart watch developed by Watchdata with NFC payment feature, aiming to bring more convenience to users’ daily life. It can be used for contactless payment, including public transport (both bus and subway) and micropayment (including restaurant, supermarket, bakery, etc.). Sharkey^TM saves commuters the trouble searching and taking out the card while passing the ticket reader every time, especially during the rush hours in overcrowded stations. Besides, you can easily check your account balance via Sharkey^TM and check your transaction history via its mobile terminal Sharkey APP anytime.

Hotels, Retailers Try Cisco's Beacon-Management System

Several companies, including sports arenas, hotels and shopping areas, are piloting a new beacon-management dashboard provided by network technology company Cisco. Using Cisco's Connected Mobile Experience (CMX 10.0) software and Wi-Fi access points fitted with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) modules, the dashboard (part of the company's CMX 10.0 platform) can calculate the locations of Bluetooth beacons and place them on an indoor map. By viewing the map, users can verify the locations of beacons installed on their premises, as well as determine when the devices are moved or may be placed too close together, and thus need to be re-deployed in such a way that they do not interfere with each other's transmissions.

Getting started with RFID tags

RFIDs—we use them every day. With every visit to the supermarket, public library, bookstore, or department store, we handle objects that have an RFID tag, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification. For one, these small tags make it easier for shop owners to keep inventory by tracking the flow of items as they're brought in, moved around, and purchased. RFID tags are usually composed of a small electronic chip that can store a few thousand bytes and an antenna that commonly takes the shape of a tight spiral—sometimes squared, sometimes circular.