Global RFID Reader Market to Reach $22.46 Billion by 2026

According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global RFID reader market generated $8.87 billion in 2018, and is estimated to reach $22.46 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 9.8% from 2019 to 2026.

Rise in demand for RFID readers to track inventory & equipment and high sensing capability that operates from greater distance even in harsh environments drive the growth of the global RFID reader market. However, high manufacturing cost hinders the market growth. On the other hand, rise in penetration of RFID sensors in various applications such as retail, healthcare, and education create new opportunities in the coming years.

The demand for RFID readers has increased during the months of coronavirus pandemic in the medical applications such as patient tracking, medical information storage, and patient data validation.

The new installations of the RFID readers have been done in hospitals and corporate offices to avoid the transmission of Covid-19 through door handles, lift buttons, and others.

The demand for RFID readers has increased during the months of coronavirus pandemic in the medical applications such as patient tracking, medical information storage, and patient data validation.
The new installations of the RFID readers have been done in hospitals and corporate offices to avoid the transmission of Covid-19 through door handles, lift buttons, and others.

A sensor to get the best out of your solar panels

Solar panels do not generate as much energy as they did in the beginning. Pollution and degradation of the material reduce the generation capacity, according to Ed Veldhuizen and Stephan de Kievit of Duurabel. They develop sensors to measure the capacity of solar panels over a longer period of time.

The sensors measure the maintenance condition of the building envelope, the outside of a building. All this is now checked with visual inspections, which is expensive, time-consuming and arbitrary. Through the sensors and the collected data you can immediately see when a part of a building needs maintenance. In addition, you can also predict when maintenance is required because you can take measurements 24 hours a day.

Contactless NFC Hardware Wallet Authorizes Crypto Transactions With a Tap

A new cryptocurrency hardware wallet stores private keys securely and fully isolated, while NFC technology enables authorization of transactions through a mobile device. Keycard is a new credit-card sized hardware wallet featuring near-field communication (NFC) to authorize cryptocurrency transactions. At launch, it features integration with combined private messenger/wallet/DeFi browser, Status App, although further integrations are planned.

FDA Adds QR Code to Certain Food Export Certificates

On June 22 the FDA announced that effective June 29th, the Certificate to a Foreign Government and Certificate of Exportability for human food products will include a unique QR code which will allow anyone inspecting the export certificate to scan the QR code and see the copy of the export certificate as issued by the FDA.

The change promises to streamline verification which currently requires stakeholders to create an account through CFSAN’s online verification system, contact FDA to activate the account, and login to view the certificate.

Sign In App Rolls Out Contactless Sign In to Address Employee Safety Concerns

Sign In App, a technology developer, has launched Contactless Sign In, a new addition to Sign In App's existing range of features, to enable organisations to keep their employees safe as a spike of 50% of sites have started to plan the reopening of places of work this month.

Employees across a variety of sectors are understandably concerned about returning to work, away from the safety of their own homes. In fact, a recent poll found that 44% of working adults feel anxious about the prospect of going back to work because of the health risks posed by Covid-19 to them and those close to them. This also resonates with health and safety concerns regarding visitors coming into people’s organisations.

Contactless Sign In addresses these concerns by removing the need for any form of contact when signing employees or visitors into an office or reception area. The new feature introduces a ‘hands-free’ option for QR code scanning; a simple change that allows staff, visitors and contractors to sign in and out without touching the screen, all from the safety of their own smartphone.

Global Self-Checkout System Market Forecast to Register a CAGR of 10.2% During 2020 and 2025

The Self-Checkout Systems Market is expected to register a CAGR of 10.2% over the forecast period 2020-2025. The technological advancements, the scope for increased speed of checkout, shift from traditional payment system to cashless environment, labor shortage issues across the emerging countries, the growing demand for modern store formats are some of the major factors influencing the growth of the self-checkout systems market while reluctance/lack of awareness to use self-checkout systems is expected to hinder the growth of the market.

Over the past few years, the market has witnessed the increasing deployment of these systems at various industrial domains such as retail, entertainment, healthcare, financial services, among others. In the retail sector, the market is further propelled by the deployment of these systems in stores such as supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, and convenience stores.

The consumer market is witnessing a trend of Do-it-yourself. Customers are interested to rather interact with machines than with people. Connected Retailer Survey (2019), conducted by SOTI, indicated that about 66% of respondents (retail shoppers) prefer using a self-service technology over having to ask a salesperson.

Further, consumers across the world are developing a habit of dropping by the supermarket stores multiple times a week, rather than buying all the items at once. According to global research conducted by Dunnhumby, more than 60% of store baskets contain six or even fewer items. The tendency, also called small basket visits, is predicted to increase 3% y-o-y in regions like Asia-Pacific, 7.5% in Europe, and 11% in Latin America. Such a tendency is ideal for self-checkout machines, as these machines have shown to deliver significant time savings in the case of baskets with ten items or less.

Honor’s latest smartphone has a temperature sensor

One of Honor’s newly announced smartphones, the Honor Play 4 Pro, is available with an infrared temperature sensor. A video shared by the company’s official Weibo account shows the handset displaying temperature readings after being held up to people’s faces and wrists. Honor says that the sensor works between temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius (roughly -4 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit), which is more than enough to cover the human body’s range of potential temperatures.

Samsung Galaxy Note20 series gets NFC certified

The Samsung Galaxy Note20 series rumored to arrive on August 5 has been certified by NFC Forum, taking it a step closer to the launch. Two models are listed on NFC Forum's website - SM-981U and SM-986U believed to be the Galaxy Note20 and Note20+. The listings on NFC Forum's website don't include any specifications of the two smartphones, but SM-986U was spotted on Geekbench back in April with Android 10, 8GB RAM and the unannounced Snapdragon 865+ SoC.

Automotive Sensor Market to Reach $37.65 Billion by 2027

According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global automotive sensor market generated $16.40 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $37.65 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 10.2% from 2020 to 2027. The report offers an extensive analysis of changing market dynamics, key winning strategies, business performance, major segments, and competitive scenarios.

Surge in usage of automotive sensors in electric and hybrid cars and growing demand for custom designed electronics devices drive the growth of the global automotive sensor market. However, high cost associated with the development of automotive sensors restrains the market growth. Furthermore, growing technological innovations in the automotive sector is expected to create new growth opportunities for market players during the forecast period.

IoT Chip Market Worth $525.4 Billion by 2025

According to the new market research report IoT Chip Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis the IoT Chip Market size is estimated to grow from USD 392.0 billion in 2020 to USD 525.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 6.0%.

The growth of application-specific MCUs and flexible SoC-type designs, adoption of IPv6, which provides more IP address space, technologies such as AI fueling IoT adoption, development of internet connectivity, and growth of low-cost smart wireless sensor networks are expected to drive the IoT chip industry.

Surveillance cameras and drones are the major contributors to the IoT chip market with power consumption between 5–10 W. Cameras for behavioral analysis, face recognition, and vehicle recognition have an average power consumption between 5 and 10 W.
NVIDIA's Jetson TX1 draws around 8–10 W under a typical CUDA load, while its latest Jetson TX2 module draws 7.5 W at peak processing efficiency. Power management plays a significant role in the smart speaker system design as the ultimate goal is to provide power efficiently to dissipate less heat, allowing for a smaller and low-cost system.

The market for smart home devices is expected to grow exponentially in the near future, as many big players in the consumer electronics sector, such as LG Electronics (South Korea), Samsung Electronics (South Korea), and Whirlpool Corp. (US), have already launched a series of smart products in the market.

Smart Card Market Shipments to Cross 40 Million Units by 2026

According to the latest report Smart Card Market by Solution the market valuation of smart cards will cross $75 billion by 2026. The growing demand for secure payments in retail and transit markets for applications, such as citizen identity, employee identity, and healthcare will propel the market growth.

Several Point-of-Sale (POS) manufacturers are integrating their products with advanced technology. The manufacturers of POS are focusing on the development of advanced solutions with integrated functions such as warehouse management, employee management, and sales & order management. These features help retailers to offer value-added shopping benefits to their customers. This customer-centric approach offered by POS solutions helps retailers to expand their customer base.

Hybrid cards are embedded with a contactless RFID proximity chip with no interface and a microprocessor smart card chip. They are being widely adopted for access and control applications in premises of schools, colleges, campuses, and offices. The card provides everyone with secure access in the authorized premises and can also be deployed as an identification card for ticketing in public transport. They help in reducing waiting time at the point of validation, which enhances user satisfaction.

Smart card market players are also launching hybrid card readers to accept various types of cards that will help retailers and other end-users increase their customer base. For instance, in March 2020, Intercard Inc. announced to launch iReader Impulse, a hybrid card reader for the amusement sector. The card reader will facilitate the acceptance of credit cards, debit cards, and hybrid cards. The healthcare industry is witnessing new challenges in maintaining the efficiency of patient care and help in safeguarding privacy. The incorporation of smart cards aids professionals to have secure, mobile storage and effective distribution of patient information.

Schreiner Group Using FEIG RFID Long Range Readers

High-tech company Schreiner Group is now relying on powerful RFID long-range readers from FEIG ELECTRONIC for the automatic vehicle access control of their parking spaces. With more than 1,000 employees, the Schreiner Group specializes in the development and manufacture of functional labels and labeling solutions. For the vehicle access control at the headquarters in the north of Munich, the Schreiner Group opted for an RFID-based system from FEIG ELECTRONIC.

ITag Internationalizes Its RFID Operations

ITag, a Brazilian company focused on Internet of Things (IoT)-based business solutions utilizing radio frequency identification technology, will now offer viable alternatives for its current and future customers to let them print tags directly in Taiwan and other markets, including Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Recently, iTag announced an agreement with Probusiness to manage its business in Paraguay and its operations in Latin America.

MSM Solutions Launches New Android Operating System for PortalTrack RFID Software

MSM Solutions, a global provider of RFID and barcode solutions, announced that it has improved its PortalTrack Android platform for mobile RFID and barcode asset tracking applications.

PortalTrack's platform works well with the latest RFID technologies like the NXP UCode 8-chip set; Impinj R6-chipset; Zebra Technologies' TC72, MC3330R Mobile Reader along with the RFD2000 and RFD8500, which can be paired with both Android and IOS devices; plus the Alien ALR-H460.

Kistler launches continuous monitoring sensor

Switzerland-based Kistler Group, which specialises in measurement technology, has launched its new cylinder pressure sensor 6635A1 to continuously monitor large marine and stationary engines.

The sensor is designed to be especially resilient to extreme conditions in the combustion chamber such as vibrations, shocks, high temperatures and pressure.

The sensor is used in four-stroke gas, dual-fuel and diesel engines in shipping and power stations and can monitor all cylinders simultaneously.

New Passenger Counting Sensor for Public Transportation

The newly developed Xovis PCT1 – a sensor for automatic passenger counting – is tailored specifically to the transport sector.

Christian Studer, Chief Product Officer at Xoviscomments, explains: "Our 3D sensors have been used around the world in the most diverse branches for over a decade now. These include airports and retailers, but also stadiums, hotels, office buildings and festivals, all of which rely on our solutions. In public transport, the needs are similar, but the associated requirements and applicable standards are different. We therefore adapted our technology according to these conditions and made it suitable for use on vehicles. This has now all been brought together in the PCT1 – our first passenger counting sensor for vehicles."

Automatic passenger counting is just the beginning. As Studer comments: "From experience, we know that the number of people gives a basis on which to work. However, it's important to understand the behavior of people as a whole. In public transport, this can be how passengers board and alight at different stops, how bikes or strollers are transported or the topic of accessibility for passengers with disabilities. Classic data collection methods where surveys or observations are made on site are neither precise nor efficient. It's time for passenger analysis to take the next step forward towards digitization."

Tracking-Chip Maker Wants To Make It 'Rain' With Tiny Devices

Tracking-chip maker Impinj has set some lofty goals for its technology, called Rain RFID. It wants to transform businesses by allowing them to wirelessly connect billions of everyday things — such as apparel, automotive parts and luggage — to the internet cloud. ts tiny tracking chips have already connected more than 40 billion items, Impinj Chief Executive Chris Diorio told Investor's Business Daily. And the company is just getting started, he said. Rain tags cost less than 5 cents each and can be read from a stationary scanner up to 10 meters, about 30 feet, away. That compares with near-field communications RFID, or NFC, that has a range of about 10 centimeters or four inches.

Smart sensors help farmers improve crop water usage

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Queensland-based agtech company Goanna Ag have announced a partnership that will see sensors and analytics be used to help growers better understand how to maximise the use of irrigation water to grow crops. The WaterWise system features in-field sensors that measure the canopy temperature of crops every 15 minutes. The data is combined with weather forecasts before machine learning is applied to help predict the crop's water requirements for the next seven days.

Tiny Barcode Scanner Beeps Your Shopping List Together

DavidE281’s barcode scanner is designed to work with the Bring! app. All he has to do is scan a barcode, and the product ends up in a tidy list on his phone. David combined it with a 2D barcode scanner that has a serial port and designed a printed case that joins them together.

South Korea to use QR codes for entering 'high-risk areas'

South Korea will require facilities deemed to be high-risk of spreading COVID-19 to install QR code readers. Places where multiple people gather around indoors, such as fitness centres, clubs, and karaoke bars, will be subject to the requirement, the Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (KCDC) said. Prior to this announcement, South Korea had already required for those in government-mandated quarantine to wear electronic wristbands.

HALO Sensor Advances IoT Concept of Wireless Cabin Air Quality Monitoring

L2 Aviation and IPVideo Corp introduced a patent-pending HALO smart air quality monitoring system designed to provide an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to cabin air quality monitoring. IPVideo Corp., the Bay Shore, New York-based provider of HALO, describes the IoT sensor as an environmental monitoring tool designed to measure changes in air quality by the micron. Both companies believe that by installing multiple HALO sensors throughout an aircraft, airlines can start to improve the way that they digitally monitor changes in cabin air quality.

Confidex NFC Tags Monitor Fruit Growth for Banana Grower

Near Field Communications (NFC) tags to manage and track bananas are currently being deployed in a first-of-its-kind application by the Da K’Nang Laba Banana Cooperative in Vietnam. Traditionally, bananas (and other fruits) have been difficult to track and manage in the supply chain. However, new technology is emerging that can help improve production and provide greater visibility.

QR codes were actually invented by Toyota supplier Denso

Quick response (QR) codes just seemed to appear one day in the late 2000s. Now they’re everywhere. But QR codes were designed for manufacturing, not marketing. It was Denso, the Japanese industrial giant closely linked with Toyota, that developed the code in the early Nineties. Companies in the car industries had to manage a large variety of parts and were required to store more information on one product in their system. That caused a decline in the efficiency at factories, as workers had to scan barcodes more frequently, which was difficult and fatiguing.

Samsung brings its rotating NFC TV to the UK and USA

Samsung’s rotatable Sero TV uses NFC technology to let owners mirror both the content and perspective of their mobile phone. It is now available in the UK and the USA. From vertical for mobile content and apps, to horizontal for movies and TV shows, you’ll always maximise your viewing experience, Samsung says.

Car Connectivity Consortium Announces Digital Key 2.0 Specification

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) has announced its Digital Key Release 2.0 specification. It is a standardized ecosystem allowing mobile devices to store, authenticate and share digital keys for vehicles in a secure way that preserves privacy and works anywhere. Digital key technology is based on Near Field Communication (NFC), a type of radio frequency identification (RFID).

The digital key architecture uses standardized interfaces to ensure interoperability between deployments of mobile device manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers, as well as standards-based public key infrastructure to establish end-to-end security. Mobile devices create and store digital keys in secure elements, which help to protect against attacks based on hardware or software.

The sensitive strain sensor that can detect the weight of a feather

Physicists have created the most sensitive strain sensor ever made, capable of detecting a feather's touch. The sensor, developed by the Materials Physics Group at the University of Sussex, can stretch up to 80 times higher strain than strain gauges currently on the market and show resistance changes 100 times higher than the most sensitive materials in research development.

The research team believe the sensors could bring new levels of sensitivity to wearable tech measuring patients' vital signs and to systems monitoring buildings and bridges' structural integrity.

Marcus O'Mara, from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex, said: ""The next wave of strain sensing technology uses elastic materials like rubber imbued with conductive materials such as graphene or silver nanoparticles, and has been in development for over a decade now.

Commercial gauge devices suffer from relatively low sensitivity and strain range, with gauge factors ranging from 2-5 and maximum strains of 5% strain or less, resulting in the resistance increasing by less than 25% and preventing high-strain sensing required for bodily motion monitoring.

The new sensors are able to detect strains less than 0.1%, due to their higher gauge factor of ~20, and up to 80% strain, where the exponential response leads to the resistance changing by a factor of more than one million.

This allows both high-sensitivity low-strain sensing for pulse monitoring and high-strain measurement of chest motion and joint bending as a result of the record resistance change.

Aqara Releases Water Leak Sensor on Amazon

After Aqara's successful release of its Smart Wall Switches and Aqara Cube, they are now releasing the Aqara Water Leak Sensor on Amazon.com.

Water leak sensors are making it easy for people to check for water leaks from anywhere 24/7. The sensors help to prevent unnecessary damage and potential home disasters by catching a leak early. The Aqara Water Leak Sensor is a great choice if users are looking for reliability. It is small, discreet, and can fit anywhere. It has a very appealing design, and it comes at a competitive price.

The Aqara Water Leak Sensor can detect flooding, while also monitoring the status of any water leaks. When the water level of the detection site is higher than 0.5mm, the sensor will sound, and the mobile phone app will receive a notification to remind the user to take appropriate action. The alarm will stop once the water level becomes normal. The Aqara Water Leak Sensor can also work with other smart accessories to automate homes.

The Aqara Water Leak Sensor meets IP67 dustproof and waterproof rating. It is guaranteed to work in humid and dusty environments. It is designed to fit anywhere and can be placed according to your needs, guarding your home with its elegant design. The sensor works with other HomeKit-enabled accessories in the Apple Home app to make your life easier and more convenient. The Aqara Water Leak Sensor uses a CR2032 battery and will last up to 2 years under normal circumstances. The Aqara Water Leak Sensor is a Zigbee device.

Using Smart Card Printing Machines

Smart Card is based on IC card technology. It connects the various facilities inside the intelligent building into an organic whole by using computer and communication technology. Along with this, the PVC card printer came into being. PVC card printer is a kind of printer specially produced for smart cards. Whether it is a simple block color pattern, a full-color pattern, or a pattern with gradient color, it can be printed at once.

As a growing number of consumers prefer touch-free payment methods for their convenience

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that surged in the U.S. this past March and April, consumers everywhere have been taking many steps to reduce human interaction and avoid handling of objects that could be contaminated with germs.

One significant way this has manifested itself is through the notable uptick in contactless (NFC) payment usage. Upon analysis of Cardknox merchants' processing volumes—which are reflective of a wide range of industries and geographies—Cardknox observed a 150% increase in contactless payment usage between November of 2019 and April of 2020.

While some of Cardknox's reported growth in contactless use may be due to a general desire among merchants and software developers to adopt new industry trends, Cardknox has not seen such widespread interest in implementing contactless technology until quite recently, which hints to the fact that there are other factors at play—namely, consumer concerns regarding the spread of germs. Unlike other payment methods, contactless payments such as mobile wallets and contactless cards are entirely touch-free and thus provide greater peace of mind during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Now that demand for contactless payments has shot up in the U.S., it's very likely that consumers and businesses are going to want to stick with this convenient payment method for the long haul," says Cardknox CTO Yanky Weiss.

Zhejiang releases safety QR code for natural disasters

Authorities in East China's Zhejiang Province are encouraging local residents to use a new safety QR code and get their information registered in order to allow for better transmission of information during typhoon or flood situations, Global Times reports.

The health QR code has played an active role amid the COVID-19 epidemic and now the emergency authorities in Zhejiang believe it could help amid natural disasters.

Startup India Paytm wants to replace physical restaurant menus with QR code

Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s Paytm is in talks with more than 10 state governments to enable its ‘Scan to Order’ QR mode for contactless food ordering and payment at restaurants, and take away units, according to the Financial Express. sers at restaurants can scan the code to access the menu and place order from their phones and also make payments through wallet, UPI, cards etc. Eateries will be able to use the code as a white label product by using their own logo, and brand colour on the QR card while it can also be merged into their own brand pamphlets, hoardings, and signboards.

iOS users can now sign-in to Google accounts with USB/NFC security keys

Google is a big proponent for 2-Step Verification, and is improving the experience on iPhones. Users will be able to just tap an NFC security key to the back of an iPhone when prompted after entering their username and password. USB-C models can also be plugged in directly on compatible iPad Pro devices, while you can use Lightning to USB adapters for keys that were previously only used with desktops/laptops.

Ivanti Supply Chain Adds New Enterprise Mobility Management Capabilities to Ivanti Avalanche

Ivanti Supply Chain announced has added new Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) capabilities to the Ivanti Avalanche Enterprise Enabler, powered by Ivanti Wavelink.

The newly updated solution enables supply chain organizations to quickly provision hundreds of fully managed Android devices leveraging a Near-Field Communications (NFC) bump or QR code deployment.

Ivanti Avalanche Enterprise Enabler is currently available as a free add-on to Ivanti Avalanche.

Octopus lets Hong Kong commuters can add transit card to iPhone and Apple Watch

Octopus transit card holders can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay their fares and make purchases at 35,000 retail outlets across Hong Kong that accept Octopus for payments. There’s no need to authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, no extra taps and no extra steps. Transaction and balance details are instantly displayed on the iPhone or Apple Watch. The service is available to owners of iPhone 8 or later devices running iOS 13.5, and to Apple Watch Series 3 or later wearables running watchOS 6.2.5.

AirVote Uses QR Codes to Get Instant Customer Feedback

AirVote has a solution that uses QR codes to get instant feedback from customers. AirVote has a set of three smileys with unique embedded QR code for each smiley. You can print out stickers or posters yourself or AirVote can provide official stickers with your questions and QR codes.

New Orleans restaurants serve up QR codes for no-touch menus

QR codes are rapidly finding a new home in restaurants as part of reopening tactics. They make menus and more facets of service contactless by drafting customers’ own smart phones into the process. It can be a menu, a drinks list, a reservation page or even a payment tool to settle up at the end of the meal, all accessible to customers without touching anything but their own phones. Neighborhood spots like Katie’s Restaurant are using QR codes for online ordering and catering. Upscale restaurants like Ralph’s on the Park have codes that go directly to their wine lists.

Transact rolls out Android NFC student IDs at 16 US universities

Campus card solutions provider Transact has rolled out support for Android NFC student IDs, integrated with Google Pay, to 16 US universities.

Using Transact and third-party NFC-enabled reader hardware, universities can facilitate a variety of mobile ID transactions at dining halls, athletic facilities, libraries, campus events, bookstores, laundry rooms, as well as off-campus locations where student IDs are accepted.

Transact has supported student ID cards on iPhone and Apple Watch since 2018 and unveiled its Transact Mobile Credential for Google Pay in January.

CrowdBlink announces new COVID-19 screening and compliance application

CrowdBlink announced Protect, a new screening and compliance application.

Protect is a mobile and web-based application and offers a new way for construction, manufacturing, supply-chain, retirement or long term care facilities, events, and many other types of organizations to screen individuals for COVID-19 symptoms, fitness for work, and risk factors prior to allowing access to a workplace or location.

The app is able to scan any barcode/QR code, or manual entry, to associate the assessment results with an individual (most commonly used to scan employee IDs).

CrowdBlink Protect is currently available, B2B pricing starts at $199/month and includes an unlimited number of people scanned. Protect has already been deployed by a number of businesses, including at the multi-billion dollar LAX expansion construction project and a number of manufacturing, and long-term care facilities.

Apptricity Launches New Mobile Application

Apptricity is launching its new mobile application, Apptricity Mobile Asset Tracking. This new application, the first in the Asset Tracking industry, combines barcode, Bluetooth and RFID scanning within a mobile platform.

Available for both iOS and Android, the new application is full of features such as: Location auditing to confirm an asset is at a specific location, Hot/Cold reading of assets with Bluetooth tags telling the user how close or far away they are from the asset, or Asset movement tracking by setting up Bluetooth tags to represent an asset or zone/location.

Bluetooth scanning can be set to continue even when the application is running in the background, ensuring asset location tracking as often as needed (Android only).

A privacy-based smart home sensor

Minut is a noise, temperature, and motion sensor that's aimed primarily at the short-term rental market, such as Airbnb. It's also suitable for monitoring a home or office. There's no camera, and no recording function or anything that allows anyone to listen in. A basic Minut account offers the ability for a single user to monitor one home and have access to 90 days of data, while a pro account allows multiple users to access to unlimited historical data for $7.99 per month per home.

South Korea to test QR codes at nightclubs, eateries and cinemas

South Korea plans to test quick response (QR) code-based entry logs at nightclubs, eateries, cinemas and even churches in its latest efforts to track the new coronavirus. Under the plan, the government plans to test the digital entry registers at 19 facilities in Seoul, Incheon and Daejeon from Monday to Sunday before expanding the system across the country. Visitors to the facilities would have to get an one-time QR code via smartphone apps and submit it to the venue.

Scandit raises $80 million to power mobile barcode scanning

Scandit, the company behind a barcode scanning platform that leans on computer vision and augmented reality (AR), has raised $80 million in a round of funding led by G2VP.

The fresh funding, which consists of both equity and debt, comes as social distancing measures have led to a spike in demand for home deliveries and click and collect services.

The technology also ships with optical character recognition (OCR) smarts that can read any alphanumeric text, such as reference numbers, addresses, bank account details, prices, names, and more.

Conservation sets up QR Code Challenge in Rowley

Buchanan County (Iowa) Conservation’s new outdoors scavenger hunt is set up in The Guy Grover Timber and Tree Planting at, 2720 Nolen Ave., Rowley, and will run until June 11. To participate, you will need a mobile device that can scan one of six QR Codes you’ll find at Guy Grove. That will provide you with a scavenger hunt sheet, as well as information to help you find the items you need to find and check off.

Chipless RFID Market to reach US$ 5190.6 Million globally by 2027

The global chipless RFID market is estimated to account for US$ 955.3 Mn in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.0 % over the forecasted period 2020-27.

The APAC region is the fastest growing region in the global chipless RFID market and is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period 2020-27. APAC region, specifically China remain major key player in the global supply chain market, companies in the country are heavily investing in the technology such as RFID tags to improve the supply chain market in the country. For instance, in January 2018, Taocafe, China based company launched smart store, where people purchase RIFD tags attached to the product and can check out using WeChat Pay. Similar smart stores were opened by Alibaba, Tencent, and JD.com in China market. Thus, APAC market showing positive impact on the global chipless RFID market.

Chipless RFID tags offer more advantages than other identification tags such as barcodes. Chipless RFID tags are more cost-effective since they do not possess silicone chips and thus, do not require regular maintenance. Moreover, with chipless RFID, counterfeiting of products can be averted. Chipless RFID can store detailed information of products up to 2K. Moreover, these products are benefitted from automatic recording of prices and hence the product details are read without scanning when consumer approaches the counter.

The RFID tags segment is expected to dominate the global chipless RFID market over the forecasted period 2020-27. This is owing to wide application of RFID tags from retail industry to healthcare and in Logistics & manufacturing. In Logistics & manufacturing RFID tags, enables to track the location of products from manufacturing plant to the end user. Thus, many key players in the market are developing RFID tags for Logistics & manufacturing sector. For instance, in March 2019, Kit Check, Inc., a US based automated medication management Solutions Company entered into strategic partnership with Avery Dennison Corporation, a US based materials science and manufacturing company. Through this partnership both companies are developing RFID tags for pharma companies to track medication packages. This enables pharma companies to track products from manufacture to hospitals.

MintID protects precious metals with NFC chips

MintID has introduced a series of gold and silver bars and coins that use tamper-proof NFC security chips to provide bullion investors with assurance that they are buying a genuine product. Each of the company’s products includes a custom-designed NFC chip that has a unique encrypted and tamper-proof digital certificate. Physical precious metal investing has many advantages. Unfortunately, until now investors have been plagued with the uncertainty of whether or not the products they own are actually genuine.