- 1. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology Jeffrey K.
Brecht, Ph.D. Horticultural Sciences Department University of
Florida Gainesville, FL
2. What is RFID?
- RFID is a method of identifying unique items using radio waves.
Areadercommunicates with atag , which holds digital information
(e.g., a serial number) in a microchip.
- RFID is like a bar code reader, but the reading is done
remotely.
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- RFID doesnt require line of sight.
A carton tag 3. How Does RFID Work?
- The microchip, attached to an antenna, picks up signals from
and sends signals to a reader.
- Each tag contains a unique serial number, the Electronic
Product Code (EPC).
- The antenna enables the chip to transmit the identification
information to the reader.
Antenna Readers 4. How Does RFID Work?
- The reader converts the radio waves returned from the RFID tag
into a form that can then be passed on to computers that can make
use of it.
- Once the EPC is retrieved from the tag, it can be associated
with dynamic data such as from where an item originated or the date
of its production.
5. Whats the Point of RFID?
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- More accurate, immediate (i.e., real time) information
about:
-
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- the number of items in the supply chain
- Cost savings come from automating what is now a manual, not too
accurate task.
6. http://www.franwell.com/ Real Time Inventory Visibility 7.
Current Uses
- Sunpass toll collection is an RFID system
- British Airways uses RFID to track luggage
- Livestock tracking (ear tags) in Australia and Europe
- Wal Mart, Target, and the Dept. of Defense are requiring their
suppliers to have RFID tags on all pallets and cases they deliver
by 2005
8. Current Uses
- RFID has been used in libraries for several years.
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- For automated return systems.
- The Eugene Public Library in Oregon has sorters and conveyer
belt systems that deposit returned books into specified bins that
are linked through an RFID number to specific sections of the
library.
9. Future Examples
- Retailers envision scanners placed on shelves to speed
restocking, and installed at building exits to prevent theft.
- Food producers predict faster and more targeted recalls of
defective or unsafe products.
- Hospitals imagine using RFID tags to help prevent medical
errors by, for example, transmitting the correct medicine dosages
to nurses.
10. How is RFID Being Implemented?
- By EPCglobal, a joint venture between EAN International and the
Uniform Code Council (UCC)
- EPCglobal is leading the development of industry-driven
standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Network to support
the use of RFID.
11. Why Do Your Clients Care About RFID?
- Privacy Concerns A Brave New World, 1984 (Big Brother),
etc
- RFID systems enable tagged objects to speak to electronic
readers over the course of a product's lifetime all the way to the
consumers home?Yikes!
12. Privacy Concerns
- RFID technology's primary use is for carton and pallet tracking
item-level tracking of consumer products isn't likely to happen for
many years. $$$
- A "kill" command is included in the EPC specifications, so the
RFID tags will be permanently disabled at checkout.
13. Privacy Concerns
- RFID signals can be read from only 10 to 15 feet away, maximum,
and are reflected by metal.
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- Why would companies invest in the infrastructure needed to read
RFID tags everywhere?
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- Their competitors could read the same tags.
14. Privacy Concerns
- Read an opinion piece, RFID SECURITY SCARES IGNORE FACTS
- http://www.itworld.com/nl/it_insights/12102003/
15. Are There any Health Risks Associated with RFID and Radio
Waves?
- No, RFID uses the low-end of the electromagnetic spectrum. The
waves coming from readers are no more dangerous than the waves
coming to your car radio.
- Some RFID systems use microwave frequency.
16. Future Uses/Research
- RFID doesnt work around metal and water
- Tracking metal products or those with high water content is
problematic
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- Metal containers reflect radio waves
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- Produce, meat, fish, and dairy products have high water content
and absorb radio waves
- Research at the UF/IFAS RFID Lab (with Franwell) is addressing
this issue
17. Future Uses/Research
- Combining RFID tags with sensors
- The same tags used to track items moving through the supply
chain may also alert staff if they are not stored at the right
temperature, if meat has gone bad, or even if someone has injected
a biological agent into food.
18. Thank You! Questions?