RFID Technology

RFID What is it?

Acronymn: Radio Frequency Identification Device Holds a small amount of unique data a serial number or other unique attributes of the item The data can be read from a distance no contact or even line of sight necessary Enables items to be individually tracked from manufacture to consumption Many uses: Logistics, Military, Pets.

RFID History

Technology used in RFIDs was first developed in the 1920s First used by Soviets in 1945 as an espionage tool (passive, covert listening) Similar technology, the IFF transponder, was used by the British in WWII to identify airplanes as friend or foe A 1948 paper by Harry Stockman first explored the vast potential for RFID technology RFID systems did not appear until the 1960s
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RFID System Components

RFID Tag
Transponder Located

on the object

RFID Reader
Transceiver Can

read and write data to Tag

Data Processing Subsystem

Transponder
Consists of microchip (tag) that stores data and antenna Active transponders have on-tag batteries Passive transponders obtain all power from the RF interrogation signal of reader Active and passive only communicate when interrogated by transceiver

Transceiver
Consists of an RF module, a control unit, and a coupling element to interrogate tags via RF communication Also have secondary interface to communicate with back-end systems Reads tags located in an external environment and are obscured from view

Data Processing Subsystem

Can be as simple as a reader attached to a cash register

RFID - Current Uses

RFIDs are currently used for:

Inventory Monitoring Library book and bookstore tracking Pallet tracking (Wal-Mart and the Dept. of Defense) Access Control Hand Implants ID badges (Mt. Bachelor ski resort season passes) Payment Systems The American Express Blue Card, a feature they call ExpressPay Exxon Mobile SpeedPassAirline baggage tracking Cell phones are including RFID tags built in High-end VIP nightclubs Commercially for truck and trailer tracking in shipping yards Long range access control for vehicles Entry gates Electronic toll collection

RFID Implants

Before

After implant surgery

RFID Potential Future Uses

RFID tags are often envisioned as a replacement for UPC barcodes in the future

Proposed to use RFID for point of sale store checkout to replace the cashier with an automatic system which needs no barcode scanning

Possibility of your refrigerator tracking what groceries you are out of, what has gone bad, etc. (eg. How old is the milk in the fridge?) Sporting events have readers at the start and finish lines Passports

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Auto-ID Center

A non-profit partnership by major software, consulting, tag and reader manufacturers and by MIT, Cambridge University and Adelaide University All research and solutions publicly available Mission of a global approach to automatic ID of every product Developed standards for tags and readers

Electronic Product Code (EPC)

Has since dissolved and transferred work and research to EPCglobal and the Auto-ID Labs at University of St. Gallen, Keio University and MIT

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RFIDs and EPC Systems

EPC

is a 64-bit or 96-bit code

Intended to be an improvement on the UPC barcode system

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RFIDs - Active vs. Passive

Passive RFID
Energy transferred using RF from reader No Only in field of reader Very High Up to 3-5m, usually less

Required signal strength Very Low to read tag Range

Multi-tag reading

1000s of tags recognized speeds up to 100 miles/hour.

Few hundred within 3m of reader

Data Storage

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Active RFID Tags

Battery Powered tags

Temperature, GPS

Can signal at defined time Multiple tags can be recorded/read at once

Used for higher value items

Shipping containers Electronic assets

Cost between $20 and $40 per item Life between 2 4 years

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Passive RFID Tags

Traditional tags used in retail security applications

Tag contains an antenna, and a small chip that stores a small amount of data Tag can be programmed at manufacture or on installation Tag is powered by the high power electromagnetic field generated by the antennas usually in doorways The field allows the chip/antenna to reflect back an extremely weak signal containing the data Collision Detection recognition of multiple tags in the read range is employed to separately read the individual tags

These passive tags form the basis of the AutoID designs, and, if manufactured in billions, will come down in price from $0.80 to $0.05 in the next 2 years.

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Controversy

Consumer privacy advocates often refer to RFIDs as spychips RFIDs can be tracked by anyone with a high-gain antenna, potentially allowing the contents of a home to be scanned at a distance. Could be used to track an individuals movements without their knowledge Information about an individual can be gleaned from an RFID even after its disposal Three main privacy concerns in a retail scenario:

Purchaser of item may not be aware of its presence Tag can be read at a distance without purchasers knowledge May be possible to tie RFID ID to purchasers credit card and personal information

Julie England, vice president at Texas Instruments has stated that the key to success is finding this right balance between privacy protection and the appropriate use of data.
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Case Study: Wal-Mart

By providing accurate, real-time inventory data, RFID has the potential to enhance supply-chain efficiency and reduce costs. In general, item-level tagging of consumer goods is unlikely to occur for some years. Although Wal-Mart is currently focusing on case and pallet tagging, there were three products in which the case is also consumer packaging. On the outer packaging of these suppliers placed an EPCglobal sticker next to the RFID tag to notify customers of its existence.
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Regulation
Currently no global body governing RFID frequency allocation In Europe, tags must be removed from packaging before disposal due to recycling disruptions and health regulations There is limited or no regulation of RFIDs for the most part leading to more controversy

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Conclusion
RFID technology is rapidly is becoming more standardized, but problems do still exist The number of adopters of RFID technology is growing Regulation and education is necessary to quell some of the fears regarding RFID technology and its implications

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References

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/cjs/tech.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID http://www.rfidanalysis.org/ http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml ?articleID=181401622&subSection=Breaking+News http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2178/1/1/ http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2115 http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate. do?catg=25&contId=4833

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