Next generation, rugged industrial VCSEL solutions for oxygen sensing

TRUMPF Photonic Components is introducing its next generation of VCSEL for spectroscopic oxygen sensing. Spectroscopic sensing solutions can be claimed as the highest performing sensing technique to monitor relevant parameters such as oxygen concentration.

The new generation of 760 nm and 763 nm VCSEL in TO packages even increase the performance reliability. This is enabled thanks to the TRUMPF its new state-of-the-art production and processing platform.

The benefit of offering solutions at wavelengths of 760 nm and 763 nm is that there are no influences from background gases, as no gas other than oxygen shows high absorption at these emission wavelengths.

The new 760 nm and 763 nm VCSEL solutions serve various industrial applications to detect oxygen concentration. O2 sensing solutions are not only used in demanding industrial environments, but also in automotive or medical settings.

Diebold Nixdorf Helps Retailers and Their Customers Reduce Printed Receipts

Diebold Nixdorf announced the launch of Vynamic Digital Receipt, a sustainable solution to reduce the amount of thermal paper receipts.

Consumers can receive digital receipts via QR code at the point of sale (POS) without the need to register or via their retailer's app, so they have it available whenever necessary.

Retailers can easily add accessible promotions and offers to strengthen customer loyalty, while significantly saving costs and reducing their environmental impact.

Every retail transaction requires a receipt: Retailers must issue them to be legally compliant, and customers must present them to return an item or make a warranty claim. Based on this traditional approach of using thermal paper, millions of printed receipts are produced, resulting in retailer's incurring unnecessary expenses as well as adversely impacting the retailer's sustainable footprint. Further, customers often struggle with storing them as thermal paper receipts gradually fade as they are susceptible to heat and UV light.

Diebold Nixdorf will showcase Vynamic Digital Receipt at this year's EuroCIS, taking place May 31 – June 2 in Düsseldorf. Please register here to schedule a demo at Diebold Nixdorf's booth #D25, located in hall 9.

National QR payments system goes live at Subway stores in Australia

Two Subway outlets in Sydney and Brisbane are the first major Australian quick-service restaurants to let customers pay for their purchases using the national QR code payments.

The service enables Subway customers to make contactless QR code payments at the physical point of sale using their Beem mobile wallet.

Eftpos revealed plans to launch the platform in February 2021 and announced that it had support from major Australian banks, retailers and fintechs in October 2021.

SpotSee Rolls Out New TiltWatch RFID

SpotSee, a manufacturer of supply chain indicators that protect products against damage and ensure supply chain integrity, has expanded its TiltWatch product line to include an indicator that combines tilt-monitoring capabilities with passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The new TiltWatch RFID alerts users when a product has been tipped or mishandled.

TiltWatch RFID was designed to encompass all the benefits of a condition-monitoring program while also giving users an electronic record of information, captured in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or warehouse management system. When goods pass through an RFID gate, the TiltWatch RFID tag quickly identifies if products might have been damaged due to being tipped.

Users then know if there is a need for further inspection of a package. Data provides transparency by identifying trouble spots in the supply chain and conveying the need for refined processes to reduce supply chain disruptions.

The indicator is triggered when the item it’s affixed to is mishandled and tilted beyond 80 degrees. TiltWatch RFID gives users an electronic record; communicating that damage may have occurred when scanned with any Gen 2 UHF reader. While it provides a visual sign of tilt by turning read, reading the indicator with RFID eliminates the need for visual inspection which speeds the receiving process. This cost-effective, single-use indicator is serialized, tamperproof and not affected by random vibration encountered in transportation.

Crédit Agricole de Lorraine rolls out biometric payment cards in France

Customers of French bank Crédit Agricole de Lorraine can now apply for a biometric card that enables them to authenticate contactless payments above the country’s €50 contactless transaction limit with their fingerprint and without needing to use their PIN.

The regional bank is rolling out biometric Gold Mastercard and World Elite Mastercard deferred debit cards equipped with a fingerprint sensor that customers can activate by registering their fingerprint using an enrolment reader.

New breathable gas sensors may improve monitoring of health, environment

Newly developed flexible, porous and highly sensitive nitrogen dioxide sensors that can be applied to skin and clothing have potential applications in health care, environmental health monitoring and military use, according to researchers.

Led by Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, the researchers published their sensor designs, which build on previous models, and results in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

The sensors monitor nitrogen dioxide, either from breath if attached under the nose, or from perspiration, if attached elsewhere on the body. Unlike taking blood samples, the direct skin attachment allows for continuous, long-term monitoring of the gas.

The researchers created the new sensors using a fabrication method known as laser direct writing.

Laser direct writing is similar to additive manufacturing in that it is easy to set up and low cost, and the laser is widely available. The process is relatively robust, rapid and could be scaled up to large-scale manufacturing production.

CoinCorner releases Bolt Card, a contactless NFC card

CoinCorner has announced The Bolt Card – a contactless, near-field-communication (NFC) card powered by Lightning.

The Bolt Card allows users to simply tap any Lightning-enabled point-of-sale (POS) creating an almost instantaneous transaction processed through the Lightning Network in seconds.

The process is similar to the tap function of a Visa or Mastercard, without the settlement delays, processing fees, or centralized entities.

At launch, The Bolt Card is compatible with Lightning and LNURL protocols while supporting CoinCorner and BTCPay Server gateways and will soon be compatible with IBEX Mercado, LNBits, and FastBitcoins.

Underwater cable repurposed as earthquake sensor

A new technique that turns undersea power and telecom cables into environmental sensors could revolutionise the monitoring of the earth in remote locations, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have said.

Today, seas and oceans remain mostly unmonitored with only a handful of permanent ocean-floor sensors existing globally.

The team showed the detection of earthquakes and ocean signals, such as waves and currents, on individual spans between repeaters spread across the entire transatlantic connection. The optical fibre in each span acted as a sensor.

Up to 12 sensors were implemented along the cable, although future upgrades will increase this number to 129.

Tageos Launches EOS-840 RAIN RFID Sensor Inlays

Tageos launched its EOS-840 Sensor products, the market's first versatile, battery-free sensor inlays based on Asygn’s next-gen AS321x chips.

The new RAIN RFID (UHF) products provide the latest sensing capabilities for temperature, strain and ambient light monitoring, making them suitable for a broad range of applications in industrial, supply chain and retail environments.

Due to an advanced antenna design, EOS-840 Sensor inlays can accommodate without any further modification IC types AS3211, AS3213S and AS3213L, which are produced by French-based sensor and IC specialist Asygn. All three chip versions come with a temperature sensing capability.

RFID tags a $14.69 Billion Market in 2026

The global radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags market is expected to grow from $9.43 billion in 2021 to $10.31 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4%. The market is expected to reach $14.69 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 9.3%.

The radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags market consists of sales of RFID tags by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that use hardware and software technologies that allow users to receive, store, and transmit data through radio frequency waves.

Major players in the radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags market are Avery Dennison, Zebra Technologies, Honeywell, NXP Semiconductors, Impinj Inc., Invengo Technology Pte. Ltd., ams AG, Atmel Corp, Alien Technology, Smartrac N.V., GAO RFID Inc., The Tag Factory and MOJIX.

North America was the largest region in the radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags market in 2021. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.

The rising e-commerce and online retail sales are expected to propel the growth of the RFID tags market in the forecast period. E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the buying and marketing of goods and services over a computer network, most often the internet, as well as the exchange of payments and information.

Midea Showcases Scan&Go Series for Professional Kitchens

Midea Group exhibits its professional kitchen product series at the 2022 National Restaurant Association Show (NRA Show 2022) in Chicago from May 21 to 24.

Featuring two hero products, the Midea FlashChef High Speed Oven and the Scan&Go Microwave, Midea will showcase its capacity to meet all food service demands at booth #9107 at McCormick Place.

As the company's first commercial microwave with a built-in scanner for ease of use, the Midea Scan&Go microwave reduces the workload of employees and saves users' time in the retail business.

The cooking time and power settings for various food can be pre-programmed on a computer, which generates a QR code that contains the cooking instructions. By scanning the QR code, the cooking instructions will be transferred to the Scan&Go microwave. Once programmed, users can simply scan the food's barcode with the Scan&Go™ microwave's built-in scanner and place the food into the microwave oven to cook without requiring to manually set the power level and time as they normally do. The Scan&Go™ microwave provides auto programming for 100 recipes to cover the majority of usage scenarios.

Sphere Launches New Semi-integrated Payment Solution

Sphere, a provider of end-to-end integrated healthcare payments and security software, announced that it has launched a new payment solution for Independent Software Vendor (ISVs) that features integration with PAX terminals.

PAX is the world's preferred payment terminal solutions provider and has delivered over 60 million terminals to more than 120 countries across the globe.

The new solution enables ISVs to integrate their core Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products with a secure cloud-based payment solution that accepts payments on PAX terminals for a wide range of payment methods and industry standards including Europay, MasterCard and Visa, (EMV), Near-Field Communications (NFC), Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Market - 40% of Growth to Originate from APAC

The global radio frequency identification (RFID) market is expected to grow by USD 7.86 billion from 2020 to 2025 at a CAGR of 10.07% as per the latest market report by Technavio. 40% of the market's growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period. China is the key market for radio frequency identification (RFID) in APAC. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions.

The key factor driving growth in the radio frequency identification (RFID) market is the adoption of inventory management systems. In the end-user segments such as industrial and retail, the data entry and database of the equipment or product were managed manually, which led to an increase in errors and inaccuracy and was a time-consuming process. With the help of RFID tags, the user will be able to record and recognize the database of the product with better precision. Industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing require an accurate database of the products, which will aid in better decision-making among these end-user industries. With the introduction of RFID tags, vendors, manufacturers, and other end-users have found major improvements in the overall data entry.

Thus, accuracy in database management will result in an increased demand for RFID products. The key factor driving growth in the radio frequency identification (RFID) market is the adoption of inventory management systems. In the end-user segments such as industrial and retail, the data entry and database of the equipment or product were managed manually, which led to an increase in errors and inaccuracy and was a time-consuming process. With the help of RFID tags, the user will be able to record and recognize the database of the product with better precision. Industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing require an accurate database of the products, which will aid in better decision-making among these end-user industries. With the introduction of RFID tags, vendors, manufacturers, and other end-users have found major improvements in the overall data entry. Thus, accuracy in database management will result in an increased demand for RFID products.

ID Global Acquires Vizinex RFID to Expand Portfolio of High Performance Passive RFID Tags

HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions, has acquired Vizinex RFID. The acquisition increases HID Global’s presence and relevance in key vertical markets including healthcare/medical, manufacturing, oil & gas, data centers, etc. and adds a key technology to HID Global’s industry-leading RFID tag portfolio.

The acquisition advances HID Global’s stature within the quickly growing RFID tag market, as Vizinex RFID provides high-quality standard and custom tags to clients that help create new efficiencies, save money and improve tracking, security and authentication.

Vizinex’s expertise especially lies in delivering tailor-made RFID tags that are completely integrated into and compatible with different product designs. The applications can be tailored to suit critical attributes such as shape, dimension, frequency, and environmental tolerance (tolerant to, for example, repeated exposure to adverse temperatures). The tags are then manufactured in-house, in the US, using proven processes with short turnaround times.

CONTROLTEK Implements RFID Inventory Management System

CONTROLTEK, a provider of loss prevention and asset protection solutions, partners with Jockey International, to roll out RFID Inventory Management solution CONTROLSPAN Professional to all stores across the United States.

Jockey has selected to implement CONTROLSPAN Professional RFID software paired with Nordic ID hardware to create improvements in their inventory management system.

CONTROLSPAN Professional provides Jockey real-time item-level visibility and asset tracking across their nationwide chain of stores, allowing them to optimize stocking and provide insights that lead to an enhanced customer experience.

Cleveland transit authority joins regional mobile ticketing service

Passengers using public transport in Cleveland will soon be able to purchase tickets for bus and train services operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) using the EZfare mobile ticketing app.

Users will also be able to pay their fares using EZfare via Mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) apps such as Transit, Uber and Moovit as well as buy tickets for services operated by neighbouring transit agencies including Laketran in Lake County, Parta in Portage County, Sarta in Stark County, Metro in Akron and MCPT in Medina County via a single app.

Fourteen transit agencies across the Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky tri-state region have now rolled out the EZfare payment system since it was launched in Ohio in October 2019.

Location-based Services Market Worth $239.7 Billion by 2029

According to a new market research report titled, "Location-based Services Market the global location-based services market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% from 2022 to 2029 to reach $239.7 billion by 2029.

Location-based services (LBS) combine geospatial technologies, information and communication technologies, and the Internet to provide targeted information to individuals based on their geographic location in real-time. LBS technology has become widely adopted across many industries, including the retail sector and transport & logistics industry, to provide accurate location and spatial data to achieve business outcomes.

ue to the rise in GPS-enabled precision applications, including precision farming, smart logistics, and automotive, location-based services are becoming an integral part of organizations. The high demand for location-based services increases the usage of GPS vehicle trackers and personal tracking systems in the commercial sector. This offers benefits, including store locators, proximity-based marketing, real-time information, traffic updates or weather reports, roadside assistance, mobile workforce management, and fraud prevention.

The increasing demand for mobile location-based services, a surge in location-based services for strengthening agricultural practices and navigation solutions, and the growing significance of location-based services in strategic planning and crime analysis are the major factors driving the market growth. The growing demand for location-enabled mapping, tracking, and proliferation of social media, smartphones and location-based applications among consumers are providing significant opportunities for the growth of the location-based services market. However, factors including high procurement and implementation cost, security privacy, and accuracy issues have posed serious challenges to the growth of the location-based services market.

SML Launches Its First RFID Technology Center in Hong Kong

SML Group announced the launch of its Technology Innovation Development Center ("TIDC"), a first-in-Hong Kong Radio Frequency Identification ("RFID") inlay Research & Development (R&D) center and production hub.

The new center is part of SML's strategic long-term plans as it seeks to develop the technology ecosystem to power increasingly global operations that involve a growing pool of customers transitioning towards a digital-first future where every item will be tagged with a digital ID across markets.

With this center, SML will be empowered to grow its business operations globally and help customers in their pursuit towards a sustainable future.

In a global market characterized by uneven quality of RFID inlays, an integral component of the RFID tag that carries item-level data, the center will allow SML to improve quality control by standardizing performance and enhancing reliability throughout both the R&D as well as the production process. The center demonstrates SML's ambition to secure a leading role in enhancing inlay standards across the industry.

QR Code Payments to Reach $3 Trillion Globally by 2025

A new study from Juniper Research has predicted that the global spend using QR code payments will reach over $3 trillion by 2025; rising from $2.4 trillion in 2022. This growth of 25% will be driven by the increasing focus on improving the level of financial inclusion in developing regions and providing alternatives to established payment methods in developed regions.

The research reviewed the top 15 QR code payments vendors in the market and evaluated the key factors that led to their respective success. The top 5 vendors were ranked as below:

1.    Alipay
2.    PayPal
3.    WeChat Pay
4.    Google Pay
5.    UnionPay International

Juniper Research has ranked Alipay as the leader in QR code payments, having built upon its early-mover advantage to create a portfolio of strong features, including loyalty schemes, online payments, and a food delivery service in the QR space. The report suggests that competitors emulate Alipay’s strategy to create a valuable ecosystem that revolves around QR code payments capabilities, such as loyalty schemes.

PayPal lets merchants in the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands accept contactless payments on NFC smartphones

Merchants in the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands can now accept contactless payments on a standard Android NFC smartphone or other mobile device using a software point of sale (sPOS) solution from PayPal.

To use Tap to Pay with Zettle, merchants need to download PayPal’s Zettle Go application on their Android device and sign up for the service through the app or directly from a PayPal business account.

Sellers will be able to accept contactless payment via physical cards and digital wallets  — like Apple Pay and Google Pay — on smartphones and connected watches, directly on their Android mobile device.

Collaboration Delivers Fully Authenticated Fan Experience for NHL Nashville Predators

Identiv announced its collaboration with collectID to enable authentication and a connected brand experience with the limited edition US NHL (National Hockey League) Nashville Predators jersey commemorating the retirement of legendary goaltender No. 35, Pekka Rinne.

The jerseys contain an embedded near-field communication (NFC) tag designed for a long-term marketing relationship with fans who can scan the tag and register to unlock exclusive content and offers. The tags verify jersey authenticity and also enable an engaging experience for fans via the IoT, allowing them to digitally interact with the team.

The Nashville Predators are the most recent Identiv and collectID opportunity to integrate embeddable NFC life-of-garment tags to create a memorable fan experience. The collaboration enables product authentication, verification, and a fan engagement experience via embeddable NFC life-of-garment tags.

Identiv selected NFC tags featuring the highest security level based on NXP NTAG 424 DNA chips. The unique antenna design and tag conversion allow easy integration into jerseys, and other clothing, and can withstand rigorous wash and dry cycles. NTAG 424 DNA NFC tags are also ideal for anti-counterfeiting and verifying proof of ownership, providing a personalized experience within each interaction and drawing the brand and consumer closer through each unique digital experience.

EMVCo releases draft contactless kernel specification for payment devices

EMVCo has released a draft specification for the contactless kernels used in payment acceptance devices.

The EMV contactless kernel specification incorporates features and requirements including advanced security technologies such as elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for card authentication, biometric and mobile card verification methods, on-card data storage, secure channel technology for privacy, and data protection and architecture that supports physical or cloud implementations.

A contactless kernel provides a set of functions for payment acceptance devices (such as point-of-sale terminals and ATMs) to process contactless transactions, EMVCo says.

Bee Motion Combines ESP32 With PIR Sensor And USB-C

This breadboard compatible package combines an ESP32-S2 module with a top-mounted PIR sensor, making it a turn key solution for all sorts of motion sensing projects. In addition to the expected onboard voltage regulation, there’s also a LiPo charge controller and status LEDs for mobile or battery-backed operation.

NFC (Near Field Communication) Market Revenue to Cross USD 53.59 Billion

The Global Near Field Communication Market size reached USD 20.52 Billion in 2021. The NFC (Near Field Communication) Market is growing at robust CAGR of 14.7%, and reach size of USD 53.59 Billion by 2028 Research Report Added by Brandessence Market Research & Consulting Pvt ltd.

The major factors driving the growth of global NFC market is rising demand for secure & contactless payments and information systems.

The rise in NFC communication for contactless information sharing has significantly contributed in healthcare sector, transportation, social networking and improved the customer service. NFC is rising along with the demand of smart phones, as now everything is possible with smart phones.

The report by Gartner in 2020, predicted the use of 36 billion IoT devices for NFC enabled mobile payments. Also GSMA predicted the 80% of global connections will be enabled by NFC and smart phones by 2025. This powerful combination of NFC with smart phones is driving the NFC market significantly. Furthermore, surge in the adoption of smart wearable devices and IoT based devices is also expected to contribute the market growth. However, rising safety concerns, availability of substitute payment methods and short-range communication is likely to restrain the market growth. On the other hand, rising demand for contactless payment as well as growing demand for connectivity between devices followed with increasing urbanization is expected to create ample opportunities in the NFC market.

German luggage brand leverages NFC for product authentication

Purchasers of Straw+ suitcases manufactured by German luggage brand Stratic can now authenticate their purchase, access product information and receive offers and tips about packing by tapping an NFC chip embedded in the suitcase with their NFC smartphone.

Tapping the NFC chip also enables owners to create an interactive packing list and store their contact details online rather than on a physical tag attached to their suitcase.

In the Straw+ collection, NFC chips from NXP Semiconductors are embedded under the front covers of the suitcases, software provider Imero says.

Stratic now plans to add NFC functionality to all its forthcoming suitcase collections, the company says.

Athena Security Launches Next Generation Walk-Through Metal Detection

Athena Security announces the launch of the company's  frictionless Entryway Security Solution, a multi-sensor walk-through metal detector allowing the faster flow of pedestrian traffic.

The new walk-through metal detector allows for the fast flow of traffic into buildings while providing a high level of weapons detection and security screening.  The system automatically tells the difference between a weapon and a cell phone, keys and watches, eliminating the need to divest items required by legacy metal detectors.

Athena customers also appreciate the RFID integration that offers accountability by identifying who is passing through, while maintaining a high traffic flow. Athena's access control integrations provide the ability to open or lock doors or a turnstile depending on the situation. Customers can also view and monitor alerts anywhere in the world from their current VMS security system.

Geenee AR Taps Flowcode QR to Instantly Connect Mobile Consumers

Flowcode, the offline to online company building direct connections for brands and consumers through next generation QR technology, announces an integration with augmented reality (AR) technology firm Geenee to connect Web3 experiences from the offline world.

The partnership embeds Flowcode's industry QR solutions into Geenee's no-code platform, allowing creators of all technical abilities to build, publish and distribute webAR experiences and enhance the post scan experience.

In addition to the embedded QR solution, Flowcode powers experiences for NFTs generated through Geenee including Brendan Murphy's Boonji Project, a collection of 11,111 unique digital NFTs launched on the Ethereum blockchain.

ProGlove presents its first-ever multi-range scanner

ProGlove introduces the MARK 3, a new multi-range scanner. The specialist for wearable barcode scanners gives users a significant advantage with increased flexibility.

In addition, MARK 3 accelerates all common processes in warehouse and in manufacturing environments. This is because MARK 3 covers not only short and medium ranges, but also long ranges.

Thanks to MARK 3’s autofocus feature, users do not have to make any adjustments. The scanner automatically aligns itself with the barcode to be captured. ProGlove is unveiling the MARK 3 at major trade shows in Europe.

The main advantage of MARK 3 is that users no longer need to adapt to a scanning range. This saves up to five seconds per scan. MARK 3 is also suitable for new use cases thanks to its extended scanning range such as those that require scanning from a vehicle as it passes by or from a ramp into a truck. At distances from ten centimetres to six meters, MARK 3 processes all common 1D and 2D barcodes. The device also covers longer scanning ranges with bigger barcodes.

Like all scanners in the MARK product family, MARK 3 is the size of a matchbox and weighs only about 40 grams. The new barcode scanner can perform up to 12,000 scans per battery charge and can be recharged in less than two hours. Its rugged and splash-resistant design (IP 65) makes MARK 3 an optimal choice for industrial companies with both indoor and outdoor applications.

Aeropay and Flowhub Announce Contactless Payments Integration

Aeropay and Flowhub, a national cannabis point-of-sale platform for dispensaries, have announced an integration partnership to enable ACH payments via Aeropay for over 1,000 dispensaries powered by Flowhub's software.

Retailers using Flowhub can now offer cashless payments at checkout, which increases sales by more than 25% per transaction, based on data from Aeropay.

By simply scanning a QR code, customers can complete their purchase without cash or cards. They simply link to their bank and pay.

Several of the cannabis industry's largest dispensaries and delivery companies utilize Aeropay's payment processing solutions to optimize their operations and retail experiences. Aeropay's payment method facilitates reliable and compliant payments for cannabis businesses across the United States.

Flowhub processes over $3 billion in cannabis sales annually while simplifying compliance and operational workflows for retailers. In October 2021, the company received $19 million in strategic funding from a consortium led by venture firms Headline and Poseidon, including a pe

NFC chip market is expected to reach US$ 17,827.0 million

The NFC chip market is expected to reach US$ 17,827.0 million by 2028 from US$ 8,714.4 million in 2021; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2021 to 2028.

Automotive, air transport, public transportation, retail, and medical are crucial end users of NFC technology. To get a competitive edge in the present market scenario, stakeholders in the current NFC chip market are actively pursuing collaboration opportunities with other competitors in the market.

The emergence of special interest groups (SIGs) has fueled the development of future-proof new creative solutions based on NFC technology. Further, the growing need for NFC chips for NFC payments is boosting the worldwide NFC chip market in the future The global near-field communication (NFC) tags market is growing due to the rising popularity of smartphones, increasing popularity of wearable technology, and the focus shifts to providing better consumer experiences.

However, its limited operational range and security concerns hampered the market's expansion. On the other hand, rising technological improvements in NFC will create further opportunities for the market.

IoT Connectivity Market size worth $ 693.26 Billion

According to Verified Market Research, the Global IoT Connectivity Market size was valued at USD 157.83 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 693.26 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 20.33% from 2021 to 2028.

The primary factor driving market growth is increasing productivity and efficiency, creating new business models, companies worldwide relying on IoT technology to derive data-driven insights and revenue streams, and expanding business.

The growing new automation trends in industrial processes are driving the demand for IoT connectivity to monitor products continuously and troubleshoot quality defects in real-time. Apart from that, IoT wearables are widely accepted in the healthcare industry because they can remotely monitor patients with health analytics. It is also used to track the health and safety of workers employed in dangerous situations, contributing to market growth.

Furthermore, because consumers prefer luxurious driving experiences, the increasing sales of connected cars catalyze the demand for IoT connectivity to aid device-to-device communication. Besides this, increasing investments by governments of several economies on the development of smart cities are expanding the applications of IoT connectivity. It assists in decreasing energy consumption and enhancing building performance, waste management, urban space management, street lighting, outdoor air quality, and road safety are the factors driving the market growth of the IoT Connectivity Market.

Socket Mobile S550 Cordless NFC Reader is First to Receive NFC Forum Certification

Socket Mobile announced that its NFC reader/writer, the S550, is the first cordless reader to achieve CR12 certification from the NFC Forum Certification Program.  NFC Forum certification ensures that the S550 can read all NFC Forum compliant tags which number in the billions.

"Achieving NFC Forum certification is a key milestone in the NFC journey, as it guarantees reader/tag compatibility in a highly secure but complex NFC ecosystem. The combination of Socket's NFC hardware and CaptureSDK tools, enables our application partners to avoid the complexity and focus on using NFC data to enhance their application. Our application partners will now have the ability to support a host of NFC centric interactions, such as the tap of a phone with a mobile driver's license for fast, simple and secure electronic age verification, replacing the time consuming and unreliable visual verification system mostly used today," said Dave Holmes, Chief Business Officer at Socket Mobile.

Commission sends Statement of Objections to Apple over practices regarding Apple Pay

The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices.

By limiting access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with mobile devices in stores (‘Near-Field Communication (NFC)' or ‘tap and go'), Apple restricts competition in the mobile wallets market on iOS.

The Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input') on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay.

The Commission preliminarily considers that Apple enjoys significant market power in the market for smart mobile devices and a dominant position on mobile wallet markets.

In particular, Apple Pay is the only mobile wallet solution that may access the necessary NFC input on iOS. Apple does not make it available to third-party app developers of mobile wallets. The NFC ‘tap and go' technology is embedded on Apple mobile devices for payments in stores. This technology enables communication between a mobile phone and payments terminals in stores. NFC is standardised, available in almost all payment terminals in stores and allows for the safest and most seamless mobile payments. Compared to other solutions, NFC offers a more seamless and more secure payment experience and enjoys wider acceptance in Europe. 

IoT in healthcare market estimated to garner $136.8 billion by 2021

The world internet of things in healthcare market was evaluated at $60.4 billion in 2014, and is estimated to garner $136.8 billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 12.5% over the forecast period.

The market is segmented into patient monitoring, clinical operation and workflow optimization, clinical imaging, fitness & wellness measurement and drug development.

Top IT players are entering the IoT healthcare market through collaboration or acquision of the healthcare companies. For instance, in 2014, major chip manufacturer Qualcomm Life Inc. acquired medical device data integration provider Capsule Technologie.

Recently, in 2015, tech giant International Business Machine Corporation (IBM) collaborated with Medtronic PLC to provide IoT service for Medtronics medical devices data. With this collaboration, IBM, through IoT implementation can benefit from lucrative opportunities in the healthcare industry.

NP Plastibell adds ultra-miniaturised ST NFC tags to pre-filled syringes

NP Plastibell has announced a pre-filled connected syringe containing a near-field communication (NFC) tag from STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications. Integrated inside the body of the syringe, the tag enables manufacturing, medical personnel, and patients to access important medicine-related information.

The ultra-miniaturised NFC tag is directly over-molded into the syringe by NP Plastibell. While the syringe is filled with medicine, the NFC tag can store related information to allow the patient and their doctors and nurses to validate its legitimacy, view the manufacturing history, see usage recommendations, and find any other important information or warnings.

NP Plastibell faced a broad range of challenges in developing the connected syringe. In addition to creating a manufacturing process that embeds the NFC tag in the syringe and protects it from the medical contents, ST helped NP Plastibell overcome the various constraints linked to the NFC tag and the life cycle of pre-filled syringes. These included sterilisation of the syringe at temperatures above 130°C by autoclave without damaging the electronics.

France to let citizens generate digital ID by scanning physical eID card with NFC smartphone

French citizens will soon be able to generate and store certified digital identification documents in a mobile app by scanning their physical Carte Nationale d’Identité Électronique (CNIE) eID card with their NFC smartphone.

The Digital Identify Guarantee Service (SGIN) application will make it possible to use the civil status data of the card digitally to prove one’s identity in the digital world, and to have access to dedicated uses, including in the physical world, the French government’s interdepartmental digital identity programme says.

The launch of the SGIN digital ID service was officially announced in a decree authorised by the French President Emmanuel Macron last week.

Premium Decoding Technology in a New Compact Barcode Reader

Cognex Corporation introduces the DataMan 280 series of fixed-mount barcode readers, engineered to solve a broad range of ID applications, including tough 1D, 2D, and Direct Part Mark (DPM) code applications in manufacturing and logistics.

The DataMan 280 features a high-resolution sensor combined with a dynamic image formation system to improve code handling and coverage. This technology, along with connectivity options for today’s Industry 4.0 manufacturing needs, allows users to read complex barcodes reliably while improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and throughput.

Combined with Cognex Edge Intelligence (EI), DataMan 280 provides advanced Industry 4.0 features like easy web browser connectivity, device management, performance monitoring and fast image offload. It allows users to configure multiple devices at once and begin trending important system performance metrics in minutes. Facility managers can identify trends and intervene quickly when dips in performance are spotted.

Smart security label offers dual layer of protection

 

Covectra announced the issuance of US Patent Number 11,295,126 by the United State patent Office (USPTO) for its StellaGuard security labeling device.  StellaGuard is a smart security label that offers a dual layer of protection - both overt and covert technology  - in a single label.  

StellaGuard is the only security device in the market that enables the consumer direct access to confirm authenticity of a product either at the point of purchase or prior to purchase.

Unlike current technologies, StellaGuard is singular in nature - each security labeling device is uniquely protected.  Counterfeiters count on static images that continuously repeat, which are easy to reproduce.

Each StellaGuard label has a non-reproducible film that combines both a covert feature of holographic 'stars' that create a random, non-repeatable, three-dimensional pattern as well as an overt feature of a randomly serialized QR code.  A simple scanning of the QR code by the consumer using the StellaGuard mobile app can immediately authenticate the product.

Charanga Deploys RFID Technology to Lay Groundwork for Omnichannel Services

Spanish children’s clothing retailer Charanga will deploy the Nedap iD Cloud platform at all owned stores, franchised stores and displays inside El Corte Inglés locations in Spain, Portugal and Italy. 

The retailer is aiming to achieve full stock visibility in its supply chain.

A total of 150 stores will be covered by the Nedap platform, according to Retail Touchpoints.

Charanga will use RFID technology to enable a real-time view of stock in order to optimize product availability across all channels and provide the foundation for omnichannel services including buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and ship-to-store. The technology also is expected to help reduce waste and lead to fewer markdowns.

Dorset Council steps up use of 5G in-home sensors

Dorset Council has recently announced that it will increase its use of IoT sensors in the homes of vulnerable people to help identify those that may be in danger.

They are supplied by Internet of Things Solutions Group (IoTSG), connected via the Vodafone network, and placed on an individual’s kitchen shelf to monitor daily activity and send alerts of any changes in daily patterns, potentially indicating a fall or illness.

They can monitor ambient and environmental factors, and record behaviour patterns based on activities such as the use of a kettle, cooking and washing up.

The council said this approach provides reassurance for friends and family and enables a more targeted response by carers and emergency services, potentially saving money and time for the health and social care system.

Adhesive Films Market to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% during 2022-2030

The global Adhesive Films Market is expected to experience strong growth in the coming years. It is projected to reach US$ 96.6 billion by the year 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.6%. Adhesive films are versatile and highly effective products that are used in a wide range of applications across a variety of industries. They play an important role in holding different materials together while also providing cushioning, protection, and other desirable properties.

These films are used in radio frequency identification (RFID), LED lighting, aerospace electronics, construction, handheld computing, consumer electronics, and automotive electronics.

These are made up of materials such as polyethene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyvinyl acetate, and polyvinyl butyral. Adhesive films are employed in the electronics industry to hold information labels and warning labels. These adhesives are also used as protective insulation wrap. Similarly, packaging industries use these adhesives to increase the safety of packaging material.

Adhesive films form a permanent structural bond with the attaching surface after undergoing the curative process and offer strong resistance under harsh environments such as high temperatures.

Factors such as stringent government norms to lower carbon emissions by reducing vehicle weight and demand for fuel-effective automobiles drive the growth of the adhesive film market. Furthermore, developments in electrical & electronics, automotive & transportation, packaging, and medical industries also boost the adhesive film market growth.

Moreover, extensive use of adhesive films in the automotive industry for reinforcement plates, door hinge washers, and bracket attachments is another factor that fuels the market growth.

Global Market for Seaport IoT Technologies Will Grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 25%

Seaports across the globe have begun to implement a range of smart technologies to meet increasing demands on the shipping industry, improve productivity, and reduce the environmental impacts of shipping.

The global market for seaport IoT technologies, which includes expected spending on sensors and automation technologies for small and large global ports, is estimated at $2.67 billion in 2021. According to a new report from Guidehouse Insights, this market is expected to grow to $25.29 billion in 2031, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.2%.

Investment in digital transformation will likely be driven by ever increasing trade throughput of ports, sustainability initiatives and regulations, and increased competition among ports and terminal operators to have the most efficient processes. Technologies such as private 5G cellular networks, blockchain, robotics, and drones have not yet experienced large penetration in seaports, though they have the potential to catalyze technology adoption in the future as cost and regulatory barriers are met, according to the report.

Livestock Monitoring Market to Reach USD 1006.7 Million by 2028

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Livestock Monitoring market size is estimated to be worth USD 562.1 Million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 1006.7 Million by 2028 with a CAGR of 10.2% during the review period.

Some of the major factors driving the Livestock Monitoring market growth include a growing focus on real-time monitoring and early disease detection, growing adoption of IoT and AI for livestock monitoring, the covid-19 outbreak, rising demand for meat globally, and cost savings achieved through the adoption of livestock monitoring solutions.

Due to the rapid rise in the global population, the number of dairies, poultry, and swine farms has increased significantly in recent years to meet the growing demand for meat and dairy products.

The ever-increasing number of dairy cattle to meet the global demand for dairy products such as butter, cheese, curd, and yogurt is largely to blame for the rising demand for livestock monitoring solutions. Similarly, increased meat consumption has resulted to the growth. As the size of a dairy farm's herd grows, manually identifying and monitoring the herd becomes more difficult. As a result, the growing size of livestock farms provides opportunities for the livestock monitoring market to expand.

Digital Wallets Transaction Value to Grow by 60% by 2026 Globally

A new study from Juniper Research has found the value of digital wallets transactions will exceed $12 trillion in 2026, from $7.5 trillion in 2022. To capitalise on this substantial growth, the research predicts leading digital payment vendors will diversify their payment products to include new solutions, such as buy-now-pay-later and cryptocurrencies.

Digital wallets are software-based systems that securely store users’ payment information for many payment methods in one location.

The new research, Digital Wallets: Key Opportunities, Vendor Analysis and Market Forecasts 2022-2026, found increasing merchant acceptance of digital wallets methods at eCommerce checkouts has been a driving force behind enabling further digital wallets use. It predicts APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that connect financial institutions to local retailers will be key to the international growth of digital wallets usage for large, cross-border eCommerce merchants. 

The research also recommends that digital wallets vendors look to offer value-added services, such as loyalty rewards and credit, to diversify their revenue streams; capitalising on a highly active user base.