UP makes RFID tag must for transporters

With the aim to curb evasion of Goods and Services Tax, the Indian state government has made it mandatory for transport carriers to use radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag along with e-way bill from October 1. Though e-way rules require the use of RFID tag, no other state has made it mandatory since the start of e-way bill in April this year. The e-way bill rules mandate that a vehicle carrying goods worth over Rs 50,000 must furnish details electronically on the common portal and generate e-way bill.

Alipay and UnionPay join forces on barcode payment

On September 14, a source told an NBD News reporter, Alibaba’s online payment platform Alipay inked an agreement with China’s UnionPay. The two will cooperate on card-less and barcode payments, with Alipay offering some payment clearing services through UnionPay. The news follows a similar development this past April, in which UnionPay announced a QR code payment partnership with WeChat Pay. According to Wang Pengbo of internet consultancy Analysys, Alipay’s partnership with a payment clearing organization was inevitable and also forms part of a nationwide trend.

Skanska deploys mobile keys at new headquarters in Warsaw

HID Global was selected by Skanska, one of the world’s project development and construction groups with operations in Europe and North America, to incorporate HID’s mobile solution for secure access to its new office complex in Warsaw. Powered by Seos, HID Mobile Access improves the user experience and increases security throughout the entire building – from the parking lot and elevators to areas with limited access to the public.

Located at 173 Solidarności Avenue in Warsaw, the new Spark office complex is not only the new headquarters of Skanska, but a large part of the 70,000 square-meter office building has also been set aside for other tenants. Because the building is intended to be a mixed-tenant space, it was crucial to restrict access to secure areas from unauthorized visitors.


The Spark building was designed to enable mobile access so that employees can now use their smartphones to open doors and enter secure areas. Skanska, with help from system integrator Sharry Europe, created a new system for building occupants that integrates numerous building applications, including HID Mobile Access. As a result, all building applications have been incorporated into an integrated mobile app, which marked an advancement in creating a more streamlined and convenient experience for the users.

Both Spark building employees and their guests can now move throughout the building with nothing more than a smartphone, without the risk of them gaining access to restricted areas – unless the proper access rights are granted. When users arrive at the door, they simply tap their iOS and Android™ devices to an iCLASS SE® reader using Near-Field Communications (NFC) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and HID’s “twist and go” feature to gain access from a distance. Any changes to the user’s access rights are remotely managed by the administrator through a cloud-based portal.

Another Use Case Found for QR Codes

Recently QR codes have seen a lot of media coverage in the payments industry. However, It would appear as though Bellin has found a unique case study for QR codes. An announcement made on September 10th users of the Bellin GTB Hub app can now benefit From fraud protection via a QR code. The QR code scan is a new addition on the Verify-Your -Supplier feature within the app. The add-on feature will enable users to scan any code worldwide, and the additional functionality represents a digital solution for the “QR-bills” to be implemented in 2020 as part of the Swiss payment migration to ISO 20022.

Pioneering library smart card trialled at university's Ambleside campus

Students at the Ambleside campus will be able to make more use of the library thanks to an innovative programme, which can capture information and display details on their smartphone or tablet. Staff have developed the‘smart card’ which uses a quick response (QR) code to be read by digital devices. The card gives access to a virtual tour of the library, which shows a range of services on offer, from academic advice, through to wellbeing advice. Barend Engelbrecht, service administrator at Ambleside, said: “The idea is that the card brings the virtual and physical experience of the library together. This opens up the library and show there’s a lot more to it than students at first think.

How Prescient was Gartner on the Path RFID in 2004?

It was 2004. The Walmart RFID mandate was just beginning. The RFID hype machine may have been at its apex. That's when Jeff Woods, then a smart young analyst at Gartner (now an executive at SAP), wrote a rather interesting research note offering a cautionary if nevertheless long-term positive view of RFID. The note was as titled "Prepare for RFID Disillusionment," a reference to Garnter's well-known technology hype cycles, which track how new "solutions" invariably follow a path ofreaching maximum hype, only to fall into a "trough of disillusionment," hopefully to eventually reach a "slope of enlightenment."

QR code ‘clouds’ protect 3D printing from piracy

The worldwide market for 3D-printed parts is a $5 billion business with a global supply chain involving the internet, email, and the cloud—creating a number of opportunities for counterfeiting and intellectual property theft. Flawed parts printed from stolen design files could produce dire results: experts predict that by 2021, 75 percent of new commercial and military aircraft will fly with 3D-printed engine, airframe, and other components, and the use of AM in the production of medical implants will grow by 20 percent per year over the next decade. In a paper in Advanced Engineering Materials, the researchers describe a method for converting QR codes, bar codes, and other passive tags into three-dimensional features hidden in such a way that they neither compromise the part’s integrity nor announce themselves to counterfeiters who have the means to reverse engineer the part.

Unveils First RFID Tag Engineered Specifically for Airline Baggage Tracking

Impinj, a provider of RAIN RFID solutions, unveiled a new tag chip for tracking checked baggage in the global air transport industry. APEX Media spoke to Carl Brasek, Impinj’s director Silicon Project Management, to learn more about the product. Impinj’s newly unveiled Monza R6-B tag chip will enter production in November and is the first tag chip specifically engineered for airline baggage tracking. The company says the silicon tag will offer improved features and performance, compared to its current generation Monza 5 chip.

Steam Trap Sensor Provides Active RFID Without Battery

Battery-free wireless sensor technology startup PsiKick has released a product leveraging the energy of steam passing through steam traps—which capture condensation before releasing steam into the atmosphere—to power sensors that monitor the health of those same traps, then transmit that data to gateways and, ultimately, to cloud-based software via RFID technology. The resulting data helps manufacturing facilities and other companies identify how well steam traps are operating. Several hundred PsiKick sensors are now being piloted by approximately five companies, ranging from the University of Michigan—where David Wentzloff, PsiKick's co-founder and co-CTO, is an electrical engineering professor—to a consumer goods manufacturer and chemical refinery.

New smart card for Microsoft Minidriver environments hits market

A new certificate-based public key infrastructure (PKI) credential for Microsoft Minidriver environments is available from Identiv. The uTrust MD Smart Card is the latest addition to the company’s high-security credential portfolio, and it is targeted at converged physical and logical access control environments. They are ideal for IT security departments in small-to-medium size organizations that want to deploy smart cards to protect data on their network as well as employee’s computers The card is compatible with Microsoft’s Smart Card Base CSP, a cryptographic service provider integrated into the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Fake steaks to be exposed by invisible barcode scannable on smartphones

An “invisible barcode” which can be sprayed onto joints of meat and scanned by consumers using a smartphone will thwart future food fraud, scientists have claimed. The accountancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC) is developing an edible signature with an agent used in spices and powdered milk that promises to reveal how the animal was raised, what it ate and where it was processed. The new electronic etching procedure is due to be launched in Australia and China within the next 12 months.

Czech saving bank returns NFC mobile payment app to Google Play with new name

Czech saving bank Ceska Sporitelna (CS) has returned the NFC mobile payments app to the Google Play store. It was earlier withdrawn for the unauthorised use of the name Saifu, registered by another provider. The application has been renamed Poketka. Aside from enabling mobile payments at NFC terminals, Poketka can generate a one-time credit card for secured purchases in e-shops. It also offers a cashback programme, displays mobile payments history and allows users to check their account balance.

SICK RFID tech used in automated tomato harvesting

Andreas Behrens, head of product management at SICK, a producer of sensors and sensor solutions for industrial applications, says implementing RFID is not uncommon in the case of large containers containing raw products and in the mixing of bulk materials. He says the automotive industry has been using RFID for years, where a tag is attached to the car body and is encoded with data options for each vehicle.

Barcodes can be made utilizing distinctive barcoding procedures

The influx of barcodes has transformed the worldwide barcode scanner market in a big way. 2D barcodes such as QR, Data Matrix, and Portable Data File (PDF) are by and large progressively embraced over a number of sectors such as retail, transportation and logistics and healthcare. Among all the accessible 2D barcodes, the QR standardized identification is the most famous. This is principally because of its capacity to be read by even cell phones and tablets. Likewise, QR codes can be perused effortlessly in light of their capacity to hold data both evenly and vertically. In addition, their ability to contain ten times more data than a 1D barcode will expand the market infiltration of the 2D barcodes. This, thus, will impel the barcode scanner market over the forthcoming years.

First IoT security bill reaches governor's desk in California

The first Internet of Things (IoT) security bill in the US has been approved in California at the end of August and has now reached the Governor's desk to be signed into law. The bill, SB-327, was introduced in February 2017 and was the first legislation of its kind in the US. It even predated by almost six months the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017, a bill introduced in the US Senate by Sen. Mark Warner [D-VA]. But while dust gathered on Sen. Warner's proposal to secure IoT devices across the US, the California bill saw active discussions and was approved on the California Assembly and Senate floors on August 28, and 29, respectively.

Skanska deploys mobile keys at new headquarters in Warsaw

HID Global was selected by Skanska, one of the world’s project development and construction groups with operations in Europe and North America, to incorporate HID’s mobile solution for secure access to its new office complex in Warsaw. Powered by Seos, HID Mobile Access improves the user experience and increases security throughout the entire building – from the parking lot and elevators to areas with limited access to the public.

Located at 173 Solidarności Avenue in Warsaw, the new Spark office complex is not only the new headquarters of Skanska, but a large part of the 70,000 square-meter office building has also been set aside for other tenants. Because the building is intended to be a mixed-tenant space, it was crucial to restrict access to secure areas from unauthorized visitors.

The Spark building was designed to enable mobile access so that employees can now use their smartphones to open doors and enter secure areas. Skanska, with help from system integrator Sharry Europe, created a new system for building occupants that integrates numerous building applications, including HID Mobile Access. As a result, all building applications have been incorporated into an integrated mobile app, which marked an advancement in creating a more streamlined and convenient experience for the users.

iOS 12: Add the iPhone QR Code Scanner to Control Center

Apple added native QR code scanning to the Camera app in iOS 11, and is now making QR code scanning even easier by giving it a dedicated Control Center widget in iOS 12. The actual method for scanning QR codes hasn’t changed in iOS 12 — simply pointing the built-in camera app at a valid code triggers the corresponding action — but those who need to frequently scan codes can now jump directly to the correct Camera configuration via the Control Center. Here’s how to add the iPhone QR code scanner to Control Center in iOS 12.

Allflex buys RFID reader maker Agrident

One of the world’s biggest livestock identification firms has expanded its share of the radio frequency ID (RFID) tag reader market with a deal to buy German manufacturer Agrident. Allflex, whose parent firm the Allflex Group rebranded in February under the name Antelliq, announced Aug. 21 it has bought Agrident for an undisclosed sum. Agrident, set up in 1997 and based at Barsinghausen, about 20 km west of Hanover, makes and sells readers worldwide for farm animal management and traceability systems.

Lithuania’s MNOs open Moq NFC and QR mobile payments to public

A nationwide mobile payments system backed by three Lithuanian mobile network operators has gone into public beta testing and signed up 6,000 new users in its first 24 hours. Moq can be used to pay instantly in stores, online, and for person to person payments. In-store payments are initiated by scanning a QR code or NFC tag at the point of sale, and payment via Moq is possible at more than 90% of Lithuanian online stores, says the company.

Use QR code to travel on Airport Line

Commuters on Airport Express Line will be able to travel using a QR code generated on their phones instead of buying tokens or smart cards. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said on Friday that the QR code-based ticketing system will come into effect from September 16 in a bid to facilitate travel on the line. “It will enable commuters to purchase tickets using the Ridlr app without physically coming to the metro station. Commuters can download the app from the Play Store and register using their mobile number and email id,” the DMRC said .

Barcode link up for technology firm

An expanding Hampshire company has teamed up with a retail data capture specialist to bring the benefits of barcode technology to more business clients. Portsmouth-based Transalis said the partnership with i-Stocktake will offer new options for processing stock, product, order, delivery, sales and other transactions. As well as retailers, the move is expected to benefit manufacturers, distributors and logistics business across a range of sectors. Headquartered in Reigate, Surrey, i-Stocktake specialises in smart mobile scanning devices and software.

iPhone Xs and iPhone XR can read NFC tags without having to launch an app

iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone XR include a new feature for NFC that Apple didn’t mention on stage. The new models will be able to scan NFC tags in the background. With current iPhones, users must first launch an app to enable NFC Reader mode. iPhone Xs and iPhone XR require no such preamble, the user can simply walk up to a compatible NFC tag, wake the iPhone screen, and scan it If detected, the NFC scan will trigger a notification to appear on the lock screen of the iPhone Xs or iPhone XR. The user can then tap the alert and launch the app into the foreground, passed the context of the NFC tags.

GuardRFID Has Completed Certification for Integration with Lenel OnGuard 7.4

Guard RFID Solutions Inc. has successfully completed the certification for the integration of its AllGuard Real Time Location System with OnGuard 7.4, the latest version of Lenel's open platform security system.

The integration enables seamless data exchange between AllGuard and OnGuard through Lenel’s DataConduIT application interface. This integration provides OnGuard system users the capability to utilize GuardRFID’s active RFID/RTLS infrastructure and tags for a variety of use cases in healthcare, industrial, and commercial applications.

In addition to the software-based integration using DataConduIT, GuardRFID has also renewed its certification for one of its active RFID readers (TRC-LNL) to be interfaced directly with the Lenel access panel (e.g. LNL2200, LNL-1300). This integration does not require use of DataConduIT or the AllGuard server. TRC-LNL communicates with Lenel access panels via the RS-485 interface, using the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP). This direct communication allows Lenel’s customers to leverage the benefits of long range RFID (up to 10 meters tag read range), without the complexity of additional software components.

Nike releases its first NFC-enabled soccer kit for Chelsea FC

Nike is bringing its NFC-enabled replica sports jerseys to the soccer sphere for the first time through its partnership with English Premier League club Chelsea. The $90 shirt, which the likes of Eden Hazard will wear in Europa League games, features a NikeConnect label. Fans who use the NikeConnect mobile app to connect to the label will gain access to exclusive content and experiences, including playlists, the chance to win tickets and the opportunity to collaborate with Nike designers on a "fan jersey."

Touch ‘n Go RFID public pilot programme kicks off

An update on the Malaysian radio-frequency identification (RFID) system that will be implemented for paying road toll fares. Ahead of the system’s launch in January next year, Touch ‘n Go has kicked off the public pilot programme, as scheduled. Starting from today, the first registrants for the pilot programme will be getting their RFID tags installed. Participating users will need to set up an appointment to have the RFID sticker installed on the car’s windscreen or headlamp at an authorised centre, a process that should take around 15 minutes.

POM: QR Codes May Ease Late Payments Threat

The QR code is one technology that could be particularly beneficial in addressing late payments friction. According to POM co-founder and CEO Johannes Vermeire, generic QR codes ensure that end customers can scan the code on an invoice and pay using the rail of their choice, a critical feature for companies that are still sending out paper invoices. QR codes, he said, are “a means to convert paper to electronic receivers.” While consumers may be able to easily use QR codes, professional and business payers may not embrace the technology so easily.

Introducing the Improved PayPal App

Cargo at Kempegowda International Airport to get RFID tech boost

Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd (AISATS) has launched a new shipment tracking platform which uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for its cargo handling operations at the Kempegowda International Airport, making it the first air cargo terminal operator in the country to use this technology. AISATS is the biggest ground handler at the airport, managing two dedicated cargo handling centres. RFID technology will enable it to undertake real-time cargo tracking for end-to-end visibility and faster turnaround. The RFID tracking system, capable of processing large quantities of cargo, will further bolster speed and accuracy, thereby making the cargo handling process more secure.

Is RFID Technology the Key to Carson Wentz’s Return?

Back in training camp Eagles coach Doug Pederson explained that GPS tracking was playing a part in Carson Wentz's rehab from a torn ACL and LCL. Turns out the data collected from an RFID (Radio-frequency identification) chip inserted into the shoulder pads might be the deciding factor in Wentz being cleared by the team's medical staff. According to a report from ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Wentz's recent GPS data hit a vital threshold the Eagles had set, namely the ability to protect himself on the field.

NXP, Other Companies Preparing for Influx of RFID Baggage Technology Requests

Following the release of an updated recommended practice (RP) from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that airline baggage tags come equipped with RFID functionality, technology firms are aligning themselves to offer the necessary UHF RFID-based products. NXP Semiconductors, Impinj, Alien Technology and Zebra Technologies are among those providing the RFID technology. The RP document, known as "RP 1740C," along with IATA's "Resolution 753" for accurate baggage handling, endorses UHF tags for bags and readers for airports and airlines to automatically track the status and location of luggage. The updated recommendation, drafted and submitted for approval at this year's IATA Passenger Services Conference (PSC), aims for the inclusion of RFID inlays in all bag tags manufactured after January 2020 (see Airline Industry Embraces RFID Baggage Tracking).

Next-gen RFID could improve how vehicles get to the battlefield

With incredible volumes of material on the move – think: arms and munitions, supplies, vehicles – the military quite simply needs a better way to track its stuff. “We hear a lot of concerns about getting in-transit visibility in the last tactical mile, from the supply point to the end user,” said Jim Alexander, product lead for automated movement and identification solutions in PEO EIS – Enterprise Information Systems. “We are working with our partners and with transportation command to gather up the requirements for the next generation of in-transit visibility for DoD.” At the heart of transit tracking today is radio-frequency identification (RFID), which allows logisticians to tag and track goods on the move. But RFID has its limitations: It’s infrastructure intensive and not globally available. Military planners are looking to do better.

If the Nazis Had RFID Chip Implants…

Blurring the boundaries separating man from machine, a technology growing in popularity allows computer chips to be implanted under the skin. This may be prohibited by the Bible but one rabbi warns of a greater danger: the chips could be used as a Nazi-like tool to control the populace. The process is relatively simple. An identifying integrated circuit device or Radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder encased in silicate glass approximately the size of a grain of rice is implanted under the skin using a device similar to a syringe. The use of subdermal RFID’s for domestic and farm animals is widespread and some countries require them to be implanted This was first done by a physician in 1998 and was approved for use in humans by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004.

Mobile payment on fast growth in China

China's mobile payments continued fast growth in the second quarter of 2018, the central bank data showed. The country's banks processed 14.92 billion mobile payment transactions in Q2, up 73 percent year on year, according to the People's Bank of China. The value of these transactions totalled 62.88 trillion yuan (9.15 trillion U.S. dollars), up 60 percent year on year.

Stray animals get RFID tags in Jammu

Acting on Jammu and Kasahmir High Court directives, the Jammu Municipal Corporation has begun implanting stray animals and dairy cattle with radio frequency identification tags to rid the state's winter capital of their menace. "We have launched the Radio Frequency Identification tagging drive for stray and dairy cattle in the municipal limits of the city," JMC's Veterinary Officer Zafar Iqbal told PTI Wednesday. The city approximately has 300 to 400 stray animals.

No more loading smart cards with cash: NS introduces ‘pay as you travel’ service

Since Monday, public transport users in the Netherlands will be able to travel even if their smart cards are empty, under a new scheme to allow passengers on trains, buses, trams and NS bikes to pay once a month. By signing up for NS Flex, travellers will be sent a monthly bill and the amount will be automatically deducted from their bank account. The service will be free for travellers without an NS subscription plan and will cost €5 a month for people with a weekend and off-peak discount card.

Evrythng first to ratify GS1 barcode standard for out-the-box scanning

Evrythng has announced that its online object identity platform is the first such system to support the new GS1 Digital Link standard, an update to the GS1 barcode standard that now lets smartphones scan these barcodes directly. This is a big step forward, enabling physical things to be quickly tracked in supply chains and linked to consumers. Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) are the envisioned early adopters, especially as they account for much of the four trillion barcoded goods sold each year globally. Evrythng says it has connected over a billion devices through its platform.

Why Scandit Wants To Go Beyond The Barcode

Swiss firm Scandit said it wants to bring “the Internet of Things to Everyday Objects” — in essence, boosting the ways existing barcodes work and giving insight into everything from inventory to self-checkout. Last month, it raised $30 million in a Series B funding round that was led by Google’s GV arm. The total raised by Scandit comes to $43 million. The nine-year-old company said it will look to accelerate global expansion, and build on a client roster that includes Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and a host of others, helping them leverage mobile workflows and embrace computer vision and AR in their enterprises, with an eye on handling inventory with aplomb and lowering costs.

Barcode based ID cards to curb fake voting at Rajasthan University

Rajasthan University has taken strict steps to prevent fake voting this time. This year, the Rajasthan University Administration has introduced barcode based identity cards to the students. Students will be given entry in the polling station only after scanning the identity cards. The polling will be held on August 31 for the Rajasthan University Students’ elections and 22,677 voters will cast their votes. “The University administration has issued barcode containing identity cards to all the students. Admission of some students of Law College is delayed. Therefore,  IDs will also be issued to them soon. Work is being done of feeding  I-Cards data online and will be completed by Monday,” said Prof VV Singh, Chief election officer of RUSU elections.

Transacting in China is a joy, with the all-pervasive QR code and anywhere delivery

According to the 40th China Statistical Report on Internet Development, 724 million Chinese people use mobile phones to go online. Perhaps more so than any other country, China’s internet is perfectly optimised to fit in the palm of your hand, in terms of app functionality, integration with the offline world and the sheer variety and scale of possibilities. A large part of this potential is led by the QR code. China is witnessing the dawn of a “codeconomy”, said consumer behaviour researcher Chen Yiwen in a South China Morning Post article. Paying for meals by scanning codes is common, but that’s also how you unlock and use a Mobike or an Ofo shared bicycle. If I want to join one of the thousands of WeChat groups — dedicated to everything from hobbies and apartment rentals, to selling second-hand items and requesting specific GIFs a member sends.

Parkland students design clothes with QR codes to register voters

These t-shirts and hoodies by student-led protest group March For Our Lives are adorned with an American flag containing a QR code, which leads directly to online voter registration when scanned. The merchandise allows smartphone users to scan the design, and register to vote in the November 2018 midterm elections. Sales will also raise funds and awareness for the March For Our Lives campaign, created by a group of students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida.