Deadline Nears for Smart Card Chip Readers

Starting October 1, retailers that have not installed the necessary equipment to accept chip cards will be liable for any fraud that occurs on purchases in their store. Reggis Liquor purchased its chip reader when the store opened almost a year ago, putting them ahead of the curve of many businesses. “We find a lot of people who don’t even know what that chip is for,” said Ujjwal Gajurel of Reggis Liquor.

Chat App Kik Introduces QR Codes To Connect Users And Brands

Mobile messaging company Kik recently landed investment from Tencent at a billion dollar valuation, and now it is borrowing a hallmark of the Chinese company’s blockbuster WeChat app: QR codes. Kik CEO and co-founder Ted Livingston last month paid tribute to the way that WeChat uses QR codes in China to enable a range of interactions right from the app, such as buying a soda or printing a photo.

Smart Card Alliance Response to GAO Report on Electronically Readable Cards Recommends System-wide Smart Card-based Strong Authentication for CMS

In a response to the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) report “Medicare: Potential Uses of Electronically Readable Cards for Beneficiaries and Providers,” the Smart Card Alliance recommends the system-wide implementation of smart card-based strong authentication for Medicare beneficiaries and providers to prevent fraud, maintain record accuracy and security and reduce medical errors.

The GAO’s report, issued in March 2015, details the current issues that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) faces regarding beneficiary and provider identification, security standards and financial losses due to fraud, and reviews the ways that electronically readable cards could address these challenges.

“Smart card technology has been proven to protect identities and privacy globally in many industries including healthcare for improving administrative and payment processes,” said Randy Vanderhoof, the executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “In order to combat the upwards of 60 billion dollars per year lost in Medicare fraud and address other challenges that CMS faces, the Smart Card Alliance firmly believes that paper cards should be replaced with electronically readable cards. Further, the Alliance sees smart card technology as the best choice to provide the secure, interoperable, user-accepted and easy-to-use solution that CMS needs.”

The Smart Card Alliance endorses the GAO’s findings in the report that electronically readable cards could provide substantially more rigorous authentication, reduce reimbursement errors, and improve medical record-keeping for Medicare. Regarding the type of electronically readable cards, the Smart Card Alliance agrees with the GAO’s analysis that “found smart cards could provide substantially more rigorous authentication of the identities of Medicare beneficiaries and providers than magnetic stripe or bar code cards… because they are difficult to counterfeit or copy.”

Australian Researcher Uses RFID to Track Preschoolers' Activity Levels

Karen Tonge, a researcher with the University of Wollongong's Early Start Research Institute (ESRI), is using an RFID-based solution to track the movements and proximity of students and educators in preschool playgrounds, thereby providing insight regarding how much teacher engagement influences the level of activity in children. The study will aim to provide educators and other interested parties with information regarding the extent to which teachers can influence how active children are during their early education years. The premise is that the more physically active a child is, the better that individual's health and well-being will become.

RFID Brings Security, Location Awareness to First European Games

When the estimated 250,000 visitors attended the first European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, RFID tags built into their tickets enabled event organizers to track their locations across three of the main venues. The system employed Mojix's STAR technology and ViZix IOT software platform, which enabled the security and surveillance systems provider, Main Development, to ensure that individuals could be found if needed, based on their last known location, and that no one entered an unauthorized area.

How Does Metal Affect RFID Reads?

If you were to take an ordinary passive RFID transponder and place it on a metal object, the metal would detune the antenna. This is similar to what happens when you take an AM or FM radio and touch the antenna with a piece of metal. The antenna is no longer tuned to the frequency of the incoming radio waves, so you don't get good radio reception. Similarly, the RFID tag antenna will no longer be tuned to receive radio waves from the reader, and will be rendered unreadable or have an extremely short read range.

Internet of Things (IoT) Market in China 2015

IoT is the interconnection of devices with unique identifiers that have the ability to transfer data without human interaction. Internet of Things (IoT) Market in China to grow at a CAGR of 32.15% over the period 2014-2019. IoT is implemented by connecting various devices with each other as well as with communication devices of end-users. Sensor technology and wireless communication are some of the technologies used to implement IoT. It has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems, and the Internet. The major components of IoT include RFID, wireless sensor network, addressing schemes, data storage and analytics, and visualization elements. IoT facilitates efficient monitoring and management of numerous devices. The adoption of IoT is expected to grow significantly over the coming years as a result of the growing availability of Wi-Fi and LTE wireless connectivity.

I just got a computer chip implanted in my hand — and the rest of the world won't be far behind

The founder of GrindFest, biohacker Jeffery Tibbetts, gave implants to journalist Dylan Matthews and myself —specifically, glass-encased Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) NFC chips, which can store information and unlock devices, among other things.

Selle Italia will use RFID chips to track aftermarket saddles

Gray marketing and rampant online discounting are twin evils plaguing a host of brands. But Selle Italia is beefing up its fight to maintain control over its products and pricing. Next month the Italian company will begin to insert RFID chips into its aftermarket saddles during regular production runs. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips will help the company spot products that have been diverted into unauthorized sales channels, said Dan Mckenna, commercial director of Vittoria Industries North America. Vittoria distributes Selle Italia in the U.S. market.

How RFID Tags Could Minimize Retail Food Waste by 20 Percent

Chances are you encounter radio frequency identification (RFID) technology quite often. You’re doing so when you use a proximity card at work or a hotel, track a package, check out library books, or become a scannable human. Within the food industry, RFID tags track food shipments’ progress at the pallet and truck level.

The global packaging company Avery Dennison is now working to bring that technology to supermarket shelves. Avery Dennison recently claimed that RFID tags could minimize retail food waste by 20 percent, which would yield savings of US$22 billion globally. James Stafford, Global Head of RFID Development, answered some questions on a technology that may just become embedded in your life in the near future.

Macy’s adopts PayPal in-store mobile payments

US department store chain Macy’s will enable PayPal as a payment option for in-store, online and mobile purchases by the end of September 2015. “In-store customers can checkout via Payment Code on the PayPal app or on the Macy’s app which enables consumers to scan a QR code on their mobile device,” PayPal says. The integration will also enable PayPal’s One Touch checkout for online and mobile.

Intel Unveils RFID System for Retailers

Intel Corp. is marketing the Intel Retail Sensor Platform, an RFID-based system designed to make retail radio frequency identification deployments easier, as well as enable inventory tracking to be performed in real time. The platform consists of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID readers with integrated antennas, wired to an Intel Gateway device that forwards the data to a server. The platform also includes an Intel application programming interface (API) that allows RFID systems integrators to write software for linking the RFID data to a store's existing software.

A Sad Comparison of RFID vs. DVD Adoption—and What to Do About It

Adoption rates for passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID have been a disappointment to anyone with any knowledge of the industry. To understand why that is the case, let's take a look at one of the most rapid and successful product introductions of any consumer electronics technology in history—the video transition from VHS tapes for VCRs to DVD disks—and alter it to resemble the RFID buying experience.

Biometrics testing at the U.S.-Mexico border

Aiming to crack down on foreigners who remain in the country with expired visas, the federal government is turning to biometrics — and Otay Mesa is slated to be a key test site. Non-U.S. citizens with RFID-enabled documents such as the updated U.S. visa card would “walk through,” Flores said. “As they walk through, we will have an RFID reader, and we will have a device that will read the iris. The intent is to capture individuals while they’re on the move.” The area will also include facial biometric cameras.

MyECheck offers QR mobile payments

Electronic check technology provider MyECheck has launched a mobile payments service that will let consumers make payments by scanning QR codes. “Businesses can accept eMobile easily — sign up, verify your business, link your account and start taking payments or sending invoices,” the company says. “eMobile acts like a POS system that can be used on your phone or tablet.”

Microscan Slated to Release All-New Barcode Reading Solutions Fall 2015

Microscan, a global technology leader in barcode reading and machine vision solutions for industrial manufacturing, announces that it will release all-new products into its line of industrial identification solutions in early fall 2015. This product suite includes new barcode imagers and an intuitive, device-agnostic user interface that will bring next-generation performance and scale to the Microscan product portfolio and set new benchmarks for the engineering of industrial decoding technology.

For over 30 years, Microscan has driven advances in industrial barcode reading, beginning with the invention of the world’s first laser diode scanner in 1982 and continuing with the invention of the Data Matrix symbol in 1994. Microscan’s early engineering focused on the development of solutions for the clinical instrumentation and OEM sector, which yielded pioneering innovations in barcode reading technology to enable the most diverse functionality within the smallest mechanical form factor. Today, Microscan barcode readers are used by the world’s major industrial manufacturers to document and guide automated operations. This includes the tracking of goods, work-in-process monitoring, cradle-to-grave traceability of parts throughout the supply chain, and guidance of parts to each stage of assembly.

This fall, the convergence of the company’s most ground-breaking engineering throughout its history of industrial identification development will be realized in Microscan’s all-new barcode reading platform. This product suite will improve upon company’s best engineering, further miniaturize its smallest-form-factor hardware, and take its most easy-to-use platforms to a level of usability that is next to second nature. The result will be a family of “Simply Incredible” tools that revolutionize flexibility, performance, and user experience for barcode reading at a size and scale unrivaled in the industrial automation market.

With user-focused engineering at the heart of new product development, Microscan’s next-generation barcode imagers and user interface will allow anyone without barcode reading experience to easily install a device into new or existing systems to outperform competitive operations for speed, precision, and adaptability to changing criteria. New hardware will offer incredible power on an incredibly small scale, as well as complete agility to adapt to the specific requirements of any project or integration environment. Extensive customization options will give users the freedom to select from a range of hardware configurations as well as choose their device capability – from basic barcode reading to full industrial X-mode high-performance decoding, IP-rated sealing, and Ethernet connectivity – without increasing physical footprint. In one unlimited platform, Microscan’s new barcode reader family will expand the range of applications for barcode reading and data communication across the factory and beyond, driving the future of industrial identification development to enable faster, leaner, more connected manufacturing operations.

TriMet to roll out NFC ticket payments

Canadian commuters in the greater Portland-Vancouver area will soon be able to pay for their journeys using Apple Pay and other NFC mobile wallet services, contactless cards and the Hop electronic transit card system. Scheduled to be rolled out by TriMet before the end of 2017, it will be valid on C-TRAN buses, Portland Streetcar and all TriMet buses and trains.

$500 Million To Prepare for Internet of Things 'Deluge of Data'

An information explosion from the burgeoning Internet of Things threatens to swamp existing computing and data Relevant Products/Services storage Relevant Products/Services capacities, two semiconductor industry groups warned. Recommending a $500 million investment over the next five years to prepare for the coming waves of data, the Semiconductor Industry Association and the Semiconductor Research Corp. said that without it, the U.S. could fall behind other nations that are ramping up their research.

Days numbered for barcodes as shoppers demand more data

Growing demand for more information about the products we buy could mean the end of the simple bar code — the blocks of black and white stripes that adorn most objects for sale and are scanned five billion times a day. First used on a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum in 1974 in a store in Ohio, bar codes have revolutionized the retail world, allowing cashiers to ring up products much faster and more accurately, while also streamlining logistics.

Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe is so huge she uses 'barcode scanner to avoid wearing same outfit twice'

Oh to be rich and famous and have a wardrobe so big you never have to wear the same clothes twice, eh? Jennifer Lopez's closet is so extensive she reportedly relies on a high-tech barcode scanner to make sure she doesn't pick out the same outfit more than once. According to the New York Daily News everything in the 46-year-old's enormous wardrobe is coded. When scanned, up pops a picture, description, information on when it was last worn and also paparazzi shots of her wearing the outfit.

Firms ready for smart cards?

Liz Moore has lots to worry about as she juggles the many duties necessary to keep her popular downtown lunch counter, Bluebird Kitchen, running at a perfect simmer. This fall, Moore has one more thing to add to her worry list: a looming deadline for accepting chip-enabled smart cards that has caught her and many other small-business owners unaware and unprepared. Oct. 1 is the date set by the U.S. payments industry for banks to finish replacing credit and debit cards that use the old magnetic stripe technology with more secure smart cards sporting microchips.

‘Internet of Things’ is Exploding Across California

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) incorporates a dynamic array of technologies that mobilize sensors to monitor environmental conditions and radio-frequency identification RFID tags to facilitate objects interacting with users. California, with its high-tech industry, will lead the nation in IoT deployment. The total number of IoT connections is predicted to increase four-fold by 2020. As once-passive objects become capable of conducting remote updates and self-learning improvements, our systems will increasingly shift from delayed reaction to environmental and social problems, to a dynamic sense-and-respond capabilities.

New RFID Software Platform Utilizes the Power of Real-Time

A software framework is now available that enables solution providers to access real-time data for the billions of items incorporating RAIN RFID (Passive UHF) tags in retail, manufacturing and logistics. The new inView Platform is from View Technologies, a joint venture between Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. and RF Controls. Through the combination of its patented Echo smart antenna technology and software-based services, the inView platform provides item-level visibility that can easily be integrated into enterprise systems, applications and IoT platforms.

Herman Kay Gains Packing Accuracy Via RFID

Global coat and outerwear manufacturer Herman Kay Co. is carrying out a five-phase RFID deployment to track the garments that it produces and ships to customers. At the company's distribution center in Douglas, Ga., workers are already using handheld RFID readers to identify which items have been picked, compare the collected garments with the quantities on a pick ticket, and catch any errors during the picking process, before products are packed into cartons.

The Future of the Internet of Things Will Be 'Notification Hell' Before It Gets Better

Right now, the Internet of Things (IoT) is primarily the realm of futuristic-minded early tech adopters. Think of the pioneers who use Google Glass to snap pictures, Nest to control their home temperature or turn to their smartphone to dim the light bulbs in their bedroom. In a decade, things will look much different. By 2025, the Internet of Things will become more mainstream, having an economic impact between $3.9 trillion and $11.1 trillion per year, according to a recent economic forecast released by consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The upper figure (including the consumer surplus) could account for as much as 11 percent of the world economy, the report states.

Wienerschnitzel launches mobile payment and loyalty app

US fast food restaurant chain Wienerschnitzel has launched a loyalty based mobile app that also comes equipped with mobile payment capability to reward customers for purchases made at checkout using a point system. “Users must download the app and register to be assigned an account number,” the company told NFC World.

Does Any Software Update a Database Based on RFID Location Data?

This is what all RFID software does. Each time a tag is interrogated, the reader sends the tag ID number, as well as the reader ID, sometimes an antenna ID, and the date and time at which the tag was read, to middleware or directly to a back-end database. Since the reader ID is associated with a location (at least if the deployment was properly carried out), that location is noted in the database.

Kenyans to Use New Smart Card to Pay for State Services and Get Cash

MasterCard has won a government contract to rollout smart cards for use to pay for State services and also to disburse funds to wananchi. MasterCard will work with Equity Bank, Commercial Bank of Africa, KCB Group and Diamond Trust Bank who will distribute the Huduma Card and ensure its uptake. The four lenders also bear the costs of the project. The card will also be available at all Huduma Centres countrywide.

MEMS to enable next-gen IoT

STMICROELECTRONICS will focus its MEMS innovation efforts on “smart things, smart environments” and automotives. STMicroelectronics is a top MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) manufacturer and the world’s leading supplier of MEMS for consumer and mobile applications. It is also a top-three supplier of automotive ICs. According to two speeches by STMicroelectronics executives at the SEMICON Taiwan 2015 MEMS Forum, MEMS and sensors have a big part to play in IoTs, wearables, smart cities and buildings, as well as green and connected automotives.

NFC Is Yesterday's News: This Technology Will Change the Future

There are plenty of new technologies swirling around in the tech sector at any given time. In the not-too-distant past many were buzzing about near-field communication, or NFC, and the hype around it wasn't without its merits. But things change very quickly in the tech world. That's why it's worth investors knowing a bit about one of the next big things driving innovation: Internet of Things systems on a chip, or SoC. These small, and sometimes powerful, integrated chips are bringing everyday objects firmly into the Internet of Things.

NextGen Barcodes Will Store Data and Tell Stories About Products

Growing demand for more information about the products we buy could mean the end of the simple barcode - the blocks of black and white stripes that adorn most objects for sale and are scanned 5 billion times a day. First used on a pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum in 1974 in a store in Ohio, barcodes have revolutionized the retail world, allowing cashiers to ring up products much faster and more accurately, while also streamlining logistics.

LTC rolls out smart cards

The paper bus ticket will soon be a thing of the past. The London Transit Commission’s long-awaited smart cards are hitting the streets just in time for back-to-school — for some. As of Tuesday, Fanshawe College students became the first to use the chips embedded in their student cards that allow the rider to simply tap a terminal to pay their fare.

Coin launches new second-gen smart card with NFC

Coin was the first company to announce a smart card solution capable of replacing all of the credit cards in your wallet with a single device that could securely store account data and switch between accounts on the fly. The company attracted a huge amount of attention from the media and raised millions through a crowdfunding campaign, but then things took a turn. Coin ran into manufacturing issues and missed its target launch date, angering would-be early adopters in the process.

Now, Coin is looking to make amends in two key ways. First, the company is preparing to launch a new second-generation smart card with new features never seen before in any rival offerings. Second, and most importantly, Coin will provide its new and improved card to all current Coin customers free of charge.

Shops ill-prepared for smart cards

Liz Moore has lots to worry about as she juggles the many duties necessary to keep her popular downtown lunch counter, Bluebird Kitchen, running at a perfect simmer. This fall, Moore has one more thing to add to her worry list: a looming deadline for accepting chip-enabled smart cards that has caught her and many other small-business owners unaware and unprepared. "I didn't know about [the deadline] until you called me," Moore said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I had no idea. No idea."

Biometric Capabilities Added to Smart Card Platform

Smart card and ID security developer CardLogix has announced a major new update to its MOST Toolz platform. A development system for smart card microprocessors, MOST Toolz now has biometric capabilities. Now developers can use the MOST Toolz Biometric Series to collect fingerprint biometric data and record it onto a smart card’s microprocessor, enabling biometric authentication of smart card users. The platform is compliant with both ICAO and ISO/IEC interoperability standards, ensuring a high level of versatility and compatibility, and it also allows for the creation of ANSI 378 and MINEX-compliant templates. The company is aiming its platform primarily at government clients, highlighting potential applications in healthcare and citizen IDs, passports, voting, and law enforcement.

German Manufacturer Links Workers to Parts and Stations Via RFID, Bluetooth

Bosch Rexroth, a manufacturer of electric drives and controls, has boosted productivity and reduced the volume of inventory it must keep onsite, by integrating radio frequency identification technology at its assembly line in Homburg, Germany. By employing a hybrid RFID and Bluetooth beacon solution that it developed in-house, the company has also made the production of several hundred variants of hydraulic valves more efficient and less error-prone.

CaixaBank launches HCE mobile payments app

Spain’s CaixaBank has broadened its range of mobile payment services with the launch of CaixaBank Pay, a new app based on host card emulation (HCE) that allows users to make online and in-store payments at any contactless terminal. The bank estimates that the service could be used by more than 70% of its mobile banking customers.

The year of cashless payments?

The year 2015 was tipped to be the year of the cashless event in the UK - admittedly, mainly by the PR machine of the suppliers producing the RFID solutions which make it possible. Last year, several of the big US festivals, including Coachella and Lollapalooza, introduced cashless payments using the RFID entry wristbands, which have been a mainstay at festivals now for some time. This year in the UK, Download Festival was one of the first to try it, with mixed results.

Tyco Opens Experience Center for Wal-Mart

Tyco Retail Solutions has built Retail Experience Centers around the world so that its customers can view and try out its technologies, including radio frequency identification solutions. This week, the firm opened its first such center that is intended specifically for its largest retailer customer, Wal-Mart. The new Retail Experience Center is in Bentonville, Ark., the city where the retailer's headquarters is also located, and is designed for use solely by Wal-Mart managers and other employees.

PCTel: Testing airport cellular networks for RFID luggage tracking

PCTel was recently involved in a global project to assess carrier networks at more than 300 airports around the world, in order to help an airline determine which carriers would be the best local choice to support an RFID luggage-tracking system that utilizes cellular networks. Jay Maciejewski, VP of business development for engineering services at PCTel, spoke with RCR Wireless News about the unique testing project related to larger cellular network and “Internet of Things” trends.

MCX adds offers and discounts to CurrentC mobile wallet

US retailer-led consortium MCX has announced a partnership with promotions management and processing provider Inmar to bring digital promotions from US brands to its yet-to-launch mobile wallet platform CurrentC. The deal will enable users to automatically redeem offers and discounts at checkout on their mobile devices. "Inmar will leverage its extensive manufacturer relationships, digital coupon technologies and promotional expertise to provide MCX with content, offer management services and processing and settlement solutions,” MCX says.

Australian researchers are attaching sensor-stuffed ‘backpacks’ onto honey bees

The decline in the bee population began in the late 1990s when beekeepers worldwide noticed a sudden and precipitous decrease in the number of bees and honey bee colonies. Research suggests pesticides, pathogens and climate change may contribute to this decline, but no single cause has been identified. This latest study will use small RFID micro-sensors that are attached to individual bees using tweezers and super glue. Each sensor is like a license plate, containing a unique code to identify individual bees in a larger population. The sensors do not interfere with the bee and will remain affixed for the duration of the bee’s life.