RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

Jonathan Green, Kevin Thornberg, Erica Jennings

May 16, 2007

RFID - Agenda

History Types Applications (Current & Potential) Ethical Issues

What is RFID?

Wireless identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders.

History of RFID

RFID technology has been traced back to as early as the 1920s

The first US patent for this technology was made by Mario Cardullo in 1973, the first true ancestor of modern RFID

Types of RFID

Two Types Active: Have their own internal power

source which is used to power any Integrated Circuits that generate the outgoing signal.

Passive: Have no internal power supply, and must be powered externally.

RFID: Active, How it Works Diagram Source

RFID: Active Advantages

More reliable Higher power levels

More effective in RF challenged environment (metal, water, longer distances)

Example: United States Department of Defense – Reduce logistics cost, improve supply chain visibility.

RFID: Active, Disadvantages

The tag cannot function without battery power, which limits the lifetime of the tag.

The tag is typically more expensive, often costing $20 or more each

The long-term maintenance costs for an active RFID tag can be greater than those of a passive tag if the batteries are replaced.

Battery outages in an active tag can result in expensive misreads.

RFID: Passive, How it WorksDiagram Source

RFID: Passive, Advantages

The tag functions without a battery; these tags have a useful life of twenty years or more.

The tag is typically much less expensive to manufacture

The tag is much smaller (some tags are the size of a grain of rice). These tags have almost unlimited applications in consumer goods and other areas.

RFID: Passive, Disadvantages

The tag can be read only at very short distances, typically a few feet at most.

It may not be possible to include sensors that can use electricity for power.

The tag remains readable for a very long time, even after the product to which the tag is attached has been sold and is no longer being tracked.

Common Applications

http://youtube.com/watch?v=llnUJkH0Mlc

Common Applications

Passports Transport (toll) payment Product tracking Animal ID

Common Applications

Automotive Inventory systems Human implants Library

Current Business Example

Benetton Microchip transmitters have been

attached to pieces of clothing in Benetton stores -- a technological leap the Italian retailer said will help it track apparel from factory to sales floor to cash register

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/12/BU161909.DTL&type=business

What do you Think?

What are potential applications?

Potential Applications

Replacing barcodes Patient ID Laundry (smart) Toll booth Credit cards Felony scanner Others?

Ethical Issues

Privacy Human implantation Religion