More Swedes Implanting RFID Chips

A growing trend in Sweden to implant microchips in hands has gained momentum, with the biohacking movement aiming to improve human quality of life and disrupt tech markets worldwide. Swedish biotech startup Biohax has installed over 4,000 subdermal chips since launching the product in 2013, which aims to replace ID cards, purchase items, among others. The chips are injected underneath the skin between the index finger and thumb and employ radio-frequency identification (RFID) used by near field communication (NFC) devices.

Barcode Equipment Market Estimated to Rise Profitably During the Foreseeable Future, Worldwide

Some of the key vendors operating in the Barcode Equipment Market are General Data Company, SATO Holdings Corporation, Honeywell International, Toshiba, Avery Dennison, Zebra Technologies, OCR Canada, and Printronix, among others.

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 417, 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.

Barcodes can be made utilizing distinctive barcoding procedures, known as symbologies, segmented into linear and 2D matrix. Laser and inkjet printers can be utilized to print linear barcode however a thermal printer is required for printing 2D grid barcodes. The linear barcodes are thin and thick dark bars imprinted on a white foundation and can accumulate to 14 numeric characters which is adequate to be recognized as a serial number in a few applications, for instance, warehousing and inventory control.

National Office Systems (NOS) announces contract with Able Moving & Storage to provide RFID technology for its corporate relocations

"Finding new markets for the same technologies that are driving the document efficiency revolution is key to survival in this industry," says NOS Principal and Co-owner Joseph Alvarez, "and we commend Able for taking this forward step on behalf of its customers."

NOS is currently considered the Mid-Atlantic frontrunner in the document storage solutions business. When Alvarez and his partner purchased the company in 1991 it had 5 employees. With 125 employees and strong national presence, NOS not only has an interest in every conventional aspect of the industry, but has made a name for itself in specialty storage and storage architecture as well.

Understanding the eventual need for RFID applications that would embrace historical barcode technology, NOS purchased a software company that has essentially allowed them to pioneer programs to combine the two. "The ability to quickly roll out industry-specific software for new clients has helped us to stay ahead of most of our competition, so identifying a new compatible use is of real value to us," says Alvarez.

Whether assets are in transit or in storage, facility executives that contract with Able will be able to use the NOS software to instantaneously inventory the entirety of these holdings, including photographic data.

NOS endorses a practice of encouraging clients to identify the return on investment it will recapture from the employment of any of its products. RFID tracking assets for a moving company will cut down on labor costs. Digitizing documents for a law firm will eliminate costly square footage. Maintaining a chain of custody for important legal documents or evidence in a law enforcement case will curb needless procedural redundancies.

Introducing CortexWedge-The iOS barcode scanning keyboard

TachyonIQ, the premier developer of enterprise-grade mobile data capture and decoding software, announced the release of CortexWedge for iOS. CortexWedge eliminates development effort by providing users with a custom keyboard that can scan barcodes and input data into any app, online form or browser. This allows companies to quickly add barcode reading to any workflow without additional coding or hardware. Simply install the CortexWedge app and start scanning.

With CortexWedge, users will harness the ability to sync scanned barcode data directly to any of their existing programs without the need for additional development. But speed of integration doesn't mean users have to sacrifice performance or functionality.

TachyonIQ is known for its ability to scan the most difficult barcodes including those that are blurry, damaged, curved, or reflective. The software also has the ability to deliver accurate reads in low-light or poor contrast situations, delivering consistent, zero-miss performance. CortexWedge increases workflow efficiency and reduces the errors that arise from manual data entry.

FEIG Electronics Launches UHF RFID Compact Reader for Vehicle Identification

Feig Electronics, a leading global supplier of RFID readers and antennas, announced its UHF Compact Reader ID LRU500i, which combines a powerful RFID reader with an integrated antenna and signal light in one single device. The UHF Compact Reader is ideal for vehicle identification and parking access control applications in airports, universities, gated communities and others. This small vehicle access control reader is installed next to the barrier, gate or bollard, allowing vehicles to conveniently enter the parking area without the need of stopping at the entry.

Efficient and secure vehicle access can be a challenge for building owners with limited space for equipment and a narrow entry for vehicles, the new UHF Compact Reader is small and yet has a long-range performance up to 25 feet to allow vehicle entry and exit in an efficient manner. Other concerns from building owners are the vehicle access control system needs to be independent of the primary building access control system but could later be integrated as an option. The UHF Compact Reader has a Wiegand interface for use with existing access control systems. In addition, FEIG offers a variant with integrated access control panel (MAX.U50.10) with the free FEIG myAXXESS Manager software. The myAXXESS software allows the user to easily control user data and access parameters stored in the reader's non-volatile memory and control the gate actuators with its own internal GPIO. This makes it effortless to install the UHF Compact Reader as a standalone vehicle access control system or integrate with other systems.

Misfit's $250 Vapor 2 smartwatch adds GPS and NFC

Misfit's Vapor 2 touchscreen smartwatch is ready to join the company's line of fashionable fitness trackers. Unlike the original, the Wear OS-powered Vapor 2 will be equipped with GPS and NFC, making it appealing for those who like the option of leaving their phone at home during workouts. Misfit also upgraded the smartwatch's optical heart sensor which tracks active and resting heart rates.

Italian Company Creates Wearable RFID Tracking Technology

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology systems were initially touted as the go-to for pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) waste and recycling collection programs. More and more, the technology also is being used to track containers and verify service. Asset tags typically are attached to waste and recycling containers and data is collected when the bins are full, alerting haulers to deploy a vehicle to empty the bins. A Lainate (Milan), Italy-based company is adding a new twist to RFID technology in the waste and recycling industry with its Discovery Mobile device. Partitalia srl, a smartcard and RFID tag manufacturer, has created this wearable device to track waste collection. It reads the RFID tag on waste bags or bins, and the data collected is directly transmitted to the cloud server and displayed by the cloud interface. The system can be configured remotely.

Savi Receives Orders from Two Major U.S. Defense Agencies for Active RFID Tags

Savi has received orders from two major U.S. defense agencies for high-performance, data-rich, active RFID tags.

The orders are a continuation of Savi’s 28 years supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and allied partners’ automatic identification needs. The combined orders of more than 48,000 active RFID tags will join over one million Savi active RFID tags currently deployed by the DoD and international militaries around the world.

Savi is currently the sole provider for the DoD RFID-IV contract, which has a $102 million ceiling and is in its second and final option year.

As the government considers requirements for the upcoming RFID-V contract, Savi is offering new IoT sensors that quickly communicate RFID information anywhere in the world using cellular transmission capabilities, no infrastructure required. Adding these next-generation sensors to the existing active RFID support will allow the DoD to improve their ability to mitigate risk, reduce excess inventory, and streamline asset management for greater efficiency and in-theater effectiveness.

Apple issues apology to Chinese mobile wallet phishing victims

Apple has issued an apology to Chinese customers who were victims of a phishing scam that saw some Alipay and WeChat Pay customers lose funds stored in their mobile wallets. “Apple Inc apologized over the hacking of some Chinese accounts in phishing scams, almost a week after it emerged that stolen Apple IDs had been used to swipe customer funds,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “We are deeply apologetic about the inconvenience caused to our customers by these phishing scams,” Apple said in the Chinese language version of its statement.

Providers Must Plan Today for Tomorrow’s IoT Landscape

With personal and connected devices and 5G networks poised to change the industry in a big way, healthcare organizations should prioritize preparation. Christine Holloway is vice president of CDW Healthcare, a leading provider of technology solutions to healthcare organizations.
Over the past few years, the healthcare industry has started a shift to paying providers based on care quality. As that change persists, episodic care management will steadily decrease, replaced with constant monitoring and reminders that help individuals maintain healthy habits. It won’t completely go away, of course, but the goal for providers will be to prevent ailments as much as possible, rather than treat them reactively. This especially will be true for patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Paragon ID increases capacity with BW Bielomatik TagLiner for RFID tag production

Paragon ID is the first RFID tag manufacturer in the world to have invested in a BW Bielomatik TagLiner, a new chip bonding system for RFID tag production which was officially launched in spring 2018 by BW Bielomatik, part of BW Papersystems. As a provider of RFID tags and contactless ticketing, with growing requirements from its customers and new contracts to fulfil, Paragon ID needed equipment that could deliver speed and increased capacity while providing high quality products in UHF (traceability and retail) and HF (secure authentication and customer engagement). Purchased in 2017, the Tagliner has allowed Paragon ID to strengthen its global set-up of high performance centralized chip attachment, coupled with multiple converting sites in Romania, France, UK and USA to serve its markets: mass transit, health, pharma, defence, automotive, retail and fast moving consumer goods.

Modest piece of plastic due for next microchip upgrade

The Hong Kong identity card (HKID) is a small but essential possession for living in the city. Issued by the Immigration Department, all residents aged 15 or older must carry it, and anyone who stays locally for more than 180 days is required to apply for one. But more than furnishing legal proof that one is allowed to be in the city, this modest piece of plastic comes in handy for other processes, from banking to borrowing books. And increasingly, it is taking on more roles in the lives of Hongkongers.

New Qart Wallet Gives Bitcoin Cash QR Codes a Personal Touch

There’s a new bitcoin cash wallet under construction called Qart, a light client that provides the ability to create human-recognizable QR codes using any image. The wallet is currently available for Android devices in its beta phase, but users can experiment with the application before the official launch. Kim Jinyrul is a developer from South Korea who recently published the beta version of a new bitcoin cash (BCH) wallet that offers the ability to modify address QR codes. Jinyrul thinks that QR code technology used in traditional cryptocurrency wallets needs to change so they become more recognizable and personal to the owner. Qart wallet was created to offer this feature to bitcoin cash users and the platform’s addresses can be tied to a customized QR code with a picture of anything the user desires.

TARC prepares to launch new SmartCard technology for fare collection

For years, the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), has been at the forefront of innovation to make riding the bus a more enjoyable and easier experience for passengers and to improve overall efficiency of service. Now TARC is on the cusp of the latest technological advancement with the imminent implementation of a new all electronic fare collection system using the MyTARC smart card. MyTARC will enable passengers to pay fares with the tap of a smart card. The system will eliminate the need for tickets and paper transfers. Although the MyTARC smart card comes with the benefits of a discounted fare of $1.50 and an electronic transfer, full cash fare will remain a payment option.

Japan mulling unified QR codes

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry is discussing introducing unified quick response, or QR, code standards for cashless payments of fees for local train, bus and other transportation services, informed sources have said. Such standards would allow users to pay fares for public transport run by various operators, all by smartphone. Also envisioned are QR code cashless payments of taxes and medical bills at hospitals. With regional financial institutions decreasing the number of automated teller machines, the ministry aims to create an environment in which people can live without having to withdraw cash frequently, the sources said.

Review Shows Glaring Flaws In Xiongmai IoT Devices

Millions of internet-of-things devices made by a Chinese company and sold in stores such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart still have glaring security problems, a security consultancy warns. Xiongmai was a little-known manufacturer until two years ago when its products and those of many other IoT manufacturers were compromised by the Mirai malware. Xiongmai has a surprisingly large reach, however. The problem is that identifying products that have Xiongmai embedded inside requires a bit of detective work, making it broadly more difficult for users of the products to even realize their networks are at risk.

India moves towards interoperable mobile wallets

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central bank, has issued the final set of guidelines for new rules designed to enable mobile wallet users to easily make payments and transfer funds to users of competing mobile wallet services. The new rules are set out in Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) — Guidelines for Interoperability, which was published on 16 October 2018. “Interoperability is the technical compatibility that enables a payment system to be used in conjunction with other payment systems,” the bank explains in the document.

Smart cards for over 70 lakh government

The School Education Department in Chennai will soon distribute smart cards, with either QR or Bar Code technology, to all students of government and aided schools, according to an order issued by Pradeep Yadav, principal secretary to the department. The smart card will eliminate the need for further identification cards and will be used to store the code along with nine other vital information points such as name, student ID, date of birth, blood group, photograph and address, among others. “The QR or Bar Code will store all information about the student and it can be obtained from the common database,” the order said.

Snack QR codes give glyphosate info

ZEGO now offers QR codes on its fruit-and-seed bars and snack mixes with the results of tests checking for traces of the widely used weedkiller glyphosate, which is under scrutiny in court.
The company, which didn’t detect measurable amounts of glyphosate residue in its first tests in July, had already offered customers who scanned codes with smartphones the results of lab checks for gluten and common allergens. The San Francisco-based business announced it added glyphosate testing after a jury ordered agricultural giant Monsanto to pay $289 million to a school groundskeeper who argued the company’s herbicides with the chemical caused his cancer. Monsanto, which recently completed a merger with Bayer, says Roundup and its other products are safe, and it plans to appeal.

The quiet case for RFID

A new study from the Auburn University RFID Lab and the industry association GS1 US found that brand owners and retailers using electronic product code (EPC)-enabled radio frequency identification (RFID) for inventory management and product shipments are capable of achieving 99.9 percent order accuracy. When RFID was not implemented, the study found that 69 percent of orders shipped and received from brands to their retailer partners contained data errors. These errors were revealed in picking, shipping, and receiving, resulting in inventory inaccuracies and costly chargebacks from the retailers to the brand owners. Additionally, the research exposed that brands and retailers generally accept these process errors and attempt "workarounds," which often result in additional errors and costs.

Vodafone to provide RFID ID tags for children

Vodafone Idea has signed a partnership deal with the Mysuru City Police Department, to ensure a safe Navaratri festival for tourists visiting the Mysuru Palace during Dasara 2018. All children under 14 years of age are being protected with Vodafone Happy Cards (RFID radio-frequency identification) tags that are hung on their neck at any of the three entry points to the Mysuru Palace, ensuring their movements and location remain tracked till the time they return to the entry/exit point. This initiative is being done to help prevent incidents of children getting lost during the annual Mysuru Dasara festivities.

PickMe enables Dynamic QR code to accept payments

Further strengthening the brand promise of ensuring security and speed, Sri Lanka’s most innovative and largest taxi hailing service, PickMe introduced QR technology enabled the mobile payment system recently. The launch signals the Company’s decision to facilitate advanced yet user friendly mobile payment experiences for passengers. To use the mobile payment option, the driver of the vehicle needs to select the QR code icon which the passenger can scan using his or her payment app.
“The QR code is one of the most valuable applications given its ability to hold remarkable amounts of data whilst not-compromising on security.

Google includes support for FeliCa NFC payments in Pixel 3 smartphones

Google has extended the NFC capabilities of its Pixel smartphones with the addition of support for ‘NFC-F’ FeliCa NFC mobile payments in Japanese versions of its new Pixel 3 smartphones. This is the first time that Google has made a Pixel smartphone available in Japan but Android users in the country have been able to make Google Pay NFC payments with compatible smartphones since December 2016. Availability was initially limited to just one prepaid card provider, however.
Support was extended to include all four of Japan’s major prepaid card services — Nanaco,

UNTUCKit: Using RFID to Reveal Consumer Preferences

UNTUCKit launched in 2011 to solve a problem for fashionconscious men who wanted the comfort of an untucked shirt without the attendant sloppiness. Founder Chris Riccobono and CEO and co-founder Aaron Sanandres launched the brand online with 15 different shirts, each designed to fall at just the right spot, not too long or too short. (Fun fact: each style is named after a different wine.)
Since then, the brand has grown significantly. It launched its first brick-and-mortar store in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood in 2015, and today has expanded to 26 stores with 20 more expected by the end of the year. With its start in e-comm, UNTUCKit early on became used to the detailed insights into customer behavior it received from digital. As the retailer started opening physical locations, it wanted to be able to gather that same type of information so that it could better know customers and personalize the UNTUCKit experience to them.

Star toll plazas now RFID-ready

The toll plazas of the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (Star) Tollway in the  Philippines now have RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology, allowing seamless travel through the 42-kilometer highway connecting Santo Tomas town and Batangas City. In a statement yesterday, San Miguel Corp. subsidiary Star Tollway Corp., operator of the toll road, said “Autosweep RFID payment lanes, alongside regular cash lanes, are now operational at the toll plazas.”

New Study Confirms RFID Enables Nearly 100% Order Accuracy for Retail

New research from the Auburn University RFID Lab and GS1 US found that brand owners and retailers using Electronic Product Code (EPC)-enabled radio frequency identification (RFID) to optimize inventory management and reconcile product shipments are capable of achieving 99.9 percent order accuracy. Using item-level RFID technology, retailers can decrease out-of-stocks, improve loss detection, boost sales margins and expedite returns.

Measuring a sample of more than 1 million items from five leading retailers and eight brand owners, the study also found that when RFID was not implemented, 69 percent of orders shipped and received from brands to their retailer partners contained data errors. These errors were revealed in picking, shipping, and receiving, resulting in inventory inaccuracies and costly chargebacks from the retailers to the brand owners. Additionally, the research exposed that brands and retailers generally accept these process errors and attempt "work-arounds," which often result in additional errors and costs.

M&S rolls out mobile self-checkout in London food stores

M&S has announced the launch of its scan and pay service, Mobile, Pay, Go, which will be available for customers in six London stores ahead of Christmas. Available now in Edgware Road and Waterside (M&S’ Paddington HQ) Simply Food, the service will roll out to West Hampstead, Bankside, Canary Wharf and Stratford Westfield over the coming weeks.

The pacey roll out follows a successful trial of the service at Waterside Simply Food over the summer. The store now sees 20% of its sales from Mobile, Pay, Go with an average of 170 items being purchased through the app every hour. 

Mobile, Pay, Go is the simple way customers can pay for items without approaching a till. Customers simply open the M&S app, scan products as they go and then pay from their iPhone using Apple Pay or a saved card on their M&S.com account. It’s a seamless way to do a fast, seamless shop up to the value of £30.

With the service enabling customers to purchase lunch (sandwich, crisps and a drink) in as little as 40 seconds, the app is set to be particularly helpful in stores where a high proportion of transactions take place over lunchtime. In M&S’s Waterside Simply Food, 60% of transactions take place between 12pm and 2pm so it’s unsurprising that more than 1,500 people have already used Mobile, Pay, Go with 1/3 of active users making five or more transactions a week. 

Delhi: RFID toll to debut this week at Aya Nagar

After missing the initial deadline of October 2, Delhi’s first radio frequency identification (RFID) toll is likely to become fully functional at Aya Nagar by the weekend. While the civil construction work of the station has been completed, software teething issues resulted in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation failing to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, an SDMC official said. The official said SDMC has now set the target of month-end for the remaining 12 RFID stations.

TCB completes Taiwan's first standardized QR Code payment in partnership with Visa

Taiwan Cooperative Bank (TCB) and Visa, the global leader in digital payments, implemented Taiwan's first standardized and EMV-compliant QR Code payment.  Wu-Shung Yan, Executive Vice President, Taiwan Cooperative Bank and Eric Wang, Visa’s Head of Product for Taiwan, demonstrating Taiwan’s first QR Code payment by an international payment network following EMV Specifications. Wu-Shung Yan, Executive Vice President, Taiwan Cooperative Bank and Eric Wang, Visa’s Head of Product for Taiwan, demonstrating Taiwan’s first QR Code payment by an international payment network following EMV Specifications.

Apple finally shares its automatic NFC launch capabilities, albeit in a very limited way

For quite a few years, Apple has made Apple Pay extremely easy to use, and one of its best ease-of-use tricks is to allow NFC-powered Apple Pay to launch the instant it detects an NFC signal. The user doesn't have to launch an app, or even to click on anything. The phone can be in airplane mode as well as not riding local Wi-Fi. Mere proximity to the signal does it all, with a quick finger scan or face glance being all that is needed to make the transaction happen. Now, with iOS 12, Apple wants to share that magic with the industry, via an SDK. Well, not quite, but it's starting along that path.

How to scan a QR code

Here’s the curious thing about QR codes: They experienced a spike in popularity a number of years ago as smartphone cameras grew more advanced — it seemed as though every poster and package had a square QR code for a while there — but then they started losing popularity. The rise of NFC and better mobile websites simply made physical scanning feel a little obsolete. Now, the squares are coming back in all-new ways, as codes for everything from Spotify music to social WeChat shopping commands to monetary donations. These new QR codes still work the same way: You find the square code, open up a scanning app, and let your phone scan the code to carry out the command.

HID Builds Sales Partner Network for NFC Tag Solution

HID Global has announced a slew of new partnerships in support of its HID Trusted Tag Services, which allow for the authentication of products via mobile NFC technology. Essentially, the idea is to allow an employee of an organization to verify the authenticity of a given item just by tapping their smartphone against it, with HID’s NFC tags compatible with both Android and iOS devices. It’s a theoretically simple and reliable means of authenticating products, and HID Global now has the backing of some major partners to promote it to brands around the world.

Lawsuit accuses Impinj of defrauding investors, alleging company overhyped demand for connected RFID tags

Impinj had a stellar start to life as a public company, posting several strong quarters in a row, but a new lawsuit alleges that the RFID technology company overplayed its earlier success and claims that the company deceived investors in the process. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges that Impinj overestimated demand for its tags for connecting items to the internet in 2016 and 2017, when customers were actually buying more tags than they needed because Impinj was dealing with production delays. Once the supply issues cleared up, the suit argues, demand slowed significantly because customers were no longer stockpiling inventory. The suit claims the situation caused subpar revenue growth and sent Impinj stock spiraling downward.

Asian carriers begin rollout of cross-border mobile payments service

The Singtel Group today launched VIA, its cross-border mobile payment alliance, with its regional associate AIS and Kasikornbank, Thailand’s largest digital bank. Singtel, AIS will now offer QR code-based mobile payments through mobile wallets, Singtel Dash, AIS GLOBAL Pay and Rabbit Line Pay, across both Singapore and Thailand. These can be used at all merchants displaying the VIA brand and over 1.6 million Kasikornbank merchants displaying the Thai QR code.

The VIA alliance is the first initiative of its kind to connect both telco and non-telco mobile wallets across borders to create a region-wide payment network that will enable consumers to use their local mobile wallets when travelling. The Singtel Group will progressively expand this alliance to include other regional associates Airtel in India, Globe in the Philippines, Telkomsel in Indonesia, working within each country’s regulations, and non-telcos including China’s Ping An eWallet, owned by Ping An Insurance Group.

Making the Decision to Embed RFID

Embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been around for years, but is seeing a spike in implementation due, in large part, to the push for more interconnectivity and data-driven decision making in manufacturing. RFID tags can be molded into a plastic, rubber, or composite element or placed behind covers or under labels, making them inconspicuous to the user—but not to an RFID reader. You can scan them from as far away as 16 feet in most environments and in some cases much farther and identify an individual device, or a room full of devices, without getting near them.

NFC Technology Powers Brands’ and Retailers’ Mobile-First, Omnichannel Consumer Journey

The NFC Forum announced the release of a new whitepaper, Bridging Digital and Physical Retail with NFC, to help brands and retailers use NFC technology to better connect with customers. Authored by the NFC Forum Retail and Payment Special Interest Group (SIG), the free white paper shows brands and retailers how Near Field Communication (NFC) technology can be used to grow revenue, improve the customer experience, provide enhanced analytics and develop long-lasting relationships. The NFC Forum is the world’s leading standards and advocacy association for NFC technology.

“Brands and retailers need innovative and intuitive tools to connect with today’s consumers and compete effectively in a mobile-first, omnichannel world,” said Matthew Bright, chair, NFC Forum Retail and Payment SIG. “NFC allows brands and retailers to connect quickly, easily and reliably with consumers at every step of the customer journey – pre-purchase, in-store and post-purchase.”

NFC is a standards-based short-range wireless connectivity technology that makes smartphones, wearables, tablets and other devices even smarter. NFC is built into more than two billion smart devices and is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.

LuggAgent building RFID-based global luggage tracking platform

LuggAgent International is aggressively creating a standardized international luggage delivery and tracking platform by widely applying the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for luggage tracking in cooperation with logistics service providers in different countries, according to CY Lin, co-founder of the Hong Kong-based startup. Lin said since its inception in 2016, LuggAgent has been devoted to building a RFID-assisted luggage delivery and tracking platform to provide travellers a hassle free experience. He said that International Air Transportation Association (IATA) has urged full application of RFID luggage tracking technology at all international airports.

Medicare’s New Smart Card Technology

To take the Medicare identity protection mandates a step further, the U.S. House of Representatives’ House Ways and Means Committee recently passed a bipartisan health bill. The bill, titled Fighting Fraud to Protect Care for Seniors Act of 2018, seeks to greatly deter the $60 billion in abuse and fraud within the Medicare program with the use of smart card technology. The bill will create a three-year pilot program to evaluate the feasibility of a beneficiary smart card that’s machine-readable, tamper-resistant, chip-embedded and personal identification number (PIN) enabled.

ST combines an NFC controller, secure element and eSIM in a single mobile security chip

STMicroelectronics has launched the ST54J, a single system-on-chip that lets mobile phone makers cut bill-of-materials costs, reduce PCB space and deliver faster performance by combining an NFC controller, secure element and eSIM into one unit that supports mobile payments, e-ticketing, remote provisioning and more. “Spearheading the fourth generation of ST’s proven embedded secure element family, the single-chip ST54J ensures faster contactless interaction than a discrete chipset by eliminating performance-limiting off-chip data exchanges between the secure element and NFC controller,” ST explains.

Chinese Startup Develops Anti-counterfeiting RFID Chip

On Sept. 12, the China Trade Association for Anti-counterfeiting invited domestic authoritative experts to the State Administration for Market Regulation, including Ni Guangnan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Liu Zhuohui, an academician at the International Academy for Quality and the president of the China Trade Association for Anti-counterfeiting; and Chen Weijian, a professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology. The team was asked to review Sichuan Ident Industrial's new RAS anti-counterfeiting verification system (RAS stands for "RFID for Anti-counterfeiting with Status). According to Ident, the team deemed the solution cost-effective, safe and reliable, noting that it can improve the security of traceability systems when used as a secure and trusted access point.

Health Clubs Halt Towel Loss With RFID

Approximately a dozen health and fitness centers have launched a passive UHF RFID-based solution from Russia's ISBC Group that aims to manage and prevent the loss of towels. The system, which was developed about six months ago, provides shrinkage prevention for towels, says Olga Anisimova, ISBC Group's manager, while also enabling the fitness centers to manage when the towels are used, when they are returned soiled and when they require laundering or replenishment. While the system is being used by health clubs, she notes, it also works for other vertical markets, such as hotels and health-care facilities.

IDEX Biometrics and Hengbao Team Up on Asian Smart Card Trials

IDEX Biometrics has a big new partner in its escalating efforts to promote its biometric card technology. Hengbao, a major Chinese solutions provider, will work with IDEX to trial its dual interface cards in the Asian market. Headquartered in Beijing, Hengbao has a staff of more than 1,500 employees, and covers a wide range of business areas, including IT security services and various payments solutions including cards and digital commerce technology. Hengbao supports Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and China Union Pay payment network specifications, and counts Alibaba, ICBC, and Bank of China among its partners.

Why You’re Probably Getting a Microchip Implant Someday

When Patrick McMullan first heard in early 2017 that thousands of Swedish citizens were unlocking their car doors and turning on coffee machines with a wave of their palm, he wasn’t too impressed. Sure, the technology had a niche, cutting-edge appeal, but in practical terms, a fob or passcode would work just as well. McMullan, a 20-year veteran of the tech industry, wanted to do one better, In July 2017, news cameras watched as more than 50 employees at Three Square Market, the vending-solutions company where McMullan is president, voluntarily received chip implants of their own. Rather than a simple scan-to-function process like most of Sweden’s chips use, the chips and readers around Three Square Market’s River Falls, Wisconsin, office were all part of a multistage feedback network. For example: Your chip could grant you access to your computer—but only if it had already unlocked the front door for you that day

Schreiner MediPharm integrates NFC for digital authentication of autoinjectors

Schreiner MediPharm is introducing an NFC-enabled label designed for digital authentication of autoinjectors. Although the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to serialize products and provide secondary product packaging with an anti-tampering device, Schreiner MediPharm noted that there is not yet a comparable requirement for primary containers and devices for self-medication, such as pens and autoinjectors. This has led it to develop the NFC label for autoinjectors, in combination with a corresponding smartphone app that unequivocally informs users if the product is still in its originally sealed condition.

RFID Technology Addresses Consumer Woes Over Out-of-Stocks

Over the past decade, RFID technology has significantly evolved and greatly impacted the dynamic of operations across various industries such as retail. Processes like cycle counting in stores and warehouses used to solely focus on counting pallets and cases but with recent advancements in the technology, cycle counting can now be done at the item level. Hardware and tag providers have contributed to the technological progress by improving data-scanning performance and tag sensitivity, allowing modern RFID solutions to routinely achieve 98 percent-plus accuracy for cycle counting. In terms of pricing, costs have come down and implementations are easier. RFID use in retail has been accelerating in the past few years with both retailers and suppliers deploying RFID and realizing very good return on investments (ROI).

The secret weapon in the fight for sustainability? The humble barcode

The global economy is driven by the flow of goods – from farm to fork, field to factory, weaving machine to wardrobe. While consumers and governments demand more sustainability, brands and manufacturers are struggling to make the digital transformation. The good news is that GS1, the standards organization that manages the humble yet incredibly important barcode that appears on every consumer product, is coming to the rescue. A new standard called GS1 Digital Link has just been released. It upgrades the omnipresent barcode standard so that every individual product can now have a web address. What’s more, the upgraded codes are scannable by any smartphone, meaning that more than two billion smartphones around the world can connect with products to both access and share information.

RFID access comes to Mt. Washington

This season, skiers and snowboarders at Mt. Washington will gain access to the lifts a lot more smoothly with the installation of RFID technology. Guests of the resort will now have their season pass or lift ticket loaded onto the new MYMW Club Card, which contains an RFID chip. The new hands-free tech will be in full effect for Winter 2018.19."RFID is Radio Frequency Identification; it is a chip-enabled technology embedded into all our lift passes", explains Michael Hleck, IT Manager at Mt. Washington. "What that means to our guests is they no longer have to search around to get their ticket or pass out."