RFID Gazette

Bell Canada Sponsors RFID Journal LIVE! Canada
Bell Canada has agreed to be the for the first annual RFID Journal LIVE! Canada conference and exhibition. The event takes place November 8-9, 2006, in Toronto, Canada. The event features a number of highly-placed executives from various large Canadian retailers and other businesses.

US Dept of Defense Sets The Tone For RFID
With the US DoD just completing their RFID network last month, it's expected that more supply chains will follow suit. New software and hardware products [Extreme RFID] are coming out in anticipation of the need. The US Military also has spent the most [Circuit Asssembly] on active RFID projects this year: US$425M. This includes a number of niches and related technologies including ZigBee, UWB, and RTLS.

GBP 800M For Tech For British Biometric ID Cards
It's expected that the technology for the British biometric national ID card will cost GBP 800Mln, with a total cost of the program around GBP $5.4 Bln. [via VNU Net]

3M Corp has joined the RFID Consortium, an organization of companies with the mandate to promote UHF (Ultra High Frequeny) RFID and EPCGlobal EPC Gen2 standards. UHF tags broadcast at much greater distances and is often used in applications such as supply chain management - for example to control inventory in warehouses. Late last year, the RFID Consortium set down a structure for creating a patent pool, for which they recently hired an administrator. A different consortium, RFID CUSP, recently received a million-dollar grant from the NSF to study the security and privacy implications of radio frequency technology.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is using AXCESS' RFID-enabled RTLS (Real Time Location System) ActiveTag(tm) asset management system in their Mexico City office to track valuable equipment such as laptops and other portable items. The ActiveTag system will help them reduce losses and thefts by notifying the tracking system when an asset has been moved outside of a particular zone.

Smart Medical Technologies is now offering a line of RFID-embedded medical laboratory equipment including cryo-vials, test tubes, patient wristbands, blood and IV bags, and more. Each item has an accompanying read/write device to passively power the RFID chip. The equipment is in compliance with the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). [via Smart Medical Technologies press release]

A Wal-Mart beverage provider has selected Xterprise's XARM RFID tagging solution for their products. The system will be used in production line packaging. [via RFID Solutions Online]

The Spanish Armed Forces (SAF) are now using the RFID-enabled Savi Consignment Management Solution (CMS) from Savi Technology (part of Lockheed Martin Corp). The system now makes them compatible with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), allowing joint management and tracking of supply chain assets.

Here are some summaries of recent RFID-related news from elsewhere that you may have missed.

FileTrail, Inc.'s RFID Tracking Solution will be used by the US 7th Judicial Circuit Court to automate the tracking and management of case files in 130 locations, including courtrooms, judges' chambers, etc. The system will eliminate manual searches as well. [via PRWeb]

GAO Tek Inc., formerly GAO Engineering, of Toronto, Canada, has spun out GAO RFID Inc. The website includes an online store for RFID tags, labels, and readers, and supplies information about markets and solutions as well. [via PR.com]

The hospital/ healthcare market for RFID is hot, and a number of companies are offering a variety of RFID-based asset managment solutions. One is Wren Medical Systems from Chicago, Illinois, who have just introduced a RFID-based software for managing medical devices. The sofware is intended for health care providers and is being distributed, through a partnership, in North and Central America. [via RFID Solutions Online]

Paxar Corporation has a new RFID compliance kit, RFID Headstart, aimed, it appears, at SMBs (Small to Medium Businesses) who are suppliers to larger companies that have an RFID requirement - for example, Wal-Mart. The turnkey kit saves SMBs the time and cost of having to put together their own system. It comes with a variety of components including an RFID printer, reader, labels, compliant software, support, service, and consulting. [via More RFID] a similar RFID compliance package is available from Omron.

Symbol Technologies has introduced a new industrial-class Gen 2 RFID reader based on their XR architecture. The device runs on the Microsoft Windows CE operating system, which allows integration with other MS Windows systems.[via Strategiy.com]

Firetide Inc. of California is offering a hybrid wireless mesh/ RFID  system for automobile dealerships. This system ties into the KeyWhere lockbox RFID system, which tracks data on all vehicles in a dealershp. Each lockbox communicates through either Wi-Fi or ZigBee. [via The Auto Channel]

The DHS (Department of Homeland Security) may be unsure how they want to use RFID, but other branches of the US government are not. As such, 3M Corporation (NYSE: MMM) has secured their 3rd RFID contract from an US government agency in as many weeks.

The latest contract is from the US military, to track medical records of over 150,000 personnel. This contract is for three years and just under $4 million. Last week, 3M received a contract from the US Tax Court to use RFID to track over 100,000 case files. Prior to that, 3M's file-tracking solution was purchased by the US Tax Division.

The file-tracking solution works on paper-based files, which produces all kinds of data management problems - such as misplaced files and inefficiencies in retrieval. Such a system could presumably be used in any practice which requires the use of paper files. For example, attorney's offices, some of which have purchased 3M's solution.

3M's shares have been on since about 1982, with a bit more volatility in the . With this triple play in the government sector, this may open up loads of opportunities for 3M in law enforcement, law offices, hospitals and more. Such moves on the part of the government also give a boost to the perception that RFID can be used in legitimate ways.

Additional sources: [via RFID Update, RFID Update daily e-newsletter, RFID Lowdown]

RuBee is being touted as a low-cost alternative to RFID, for low-bandwidth scenarios. One feature that might just push RuBee-based tags to wider implementation than RFID is its peer-to-peer capabilities, which include being searchable on the Internet.

In the IEEE announcement of RuBee, they point out the fact that these tags will be equipped with IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. However, the page mentions the older IPv4 instead of the newer IPv6 with longer addresses. IPv6 is expected by some peple to be the backbone of being able to set up a network of SEDs (Service Enabled Devices) that communicate with each other over an "Internet of devices".

Regardless, as RuBee tags have IP addresses, that means that their status can be checked from the Internet. Given a full-blown SED with a RuBee tag and a web server, you can view data collected by the device simply by visiting a dedicated web page. In fact, the press release mentions a ".tag" TLD (Top-Level Domain) name, so you could presumably have a web URL such as http://ourlabs.tag/rubee42/.

Besides asset management, combined with a variety of hybrid sensors, RuBee tags could have enormous telepresence-related application implications, including security (such as Seaport + border), robotics, nanotechnology, weather sensors, and more.

TAGSYS and PSION are working together to develop portable RFID terminals that will be used in the distribution and logistics industries.

TAGSYS and PSION hope to create productive synergies by combining their collective knowledge and expertise in the fields of data capture and RFID. The duo will create a rugged, totally integrated product range of mobile hand-held RFID readers that will also have scanning, imaging and wireless communication options.

The two companies will also target the Pharmaceutical and Fashion Textile industries with their innovative products.

Via Arcweb

Metrologic Instruments, Inc. has signed a deal with MaxID to sell MaxID's EPC-Compliant Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Products in North America under the Metrologic brand name.

Metrologic is working to redefine its Industrial Business model. It wants to beef up offerings from its Industrial Products and Systems Group. On the other hand, MaxID also stands to benefit from Metrologic's RapidStart Program License from Intermec and its strong Channel partner network. Metrologic will start selling MaxID's products in North America, but later the company hopes to expand to other regions in due course of time.

Via MoreRFID

BlueBean, an RFID consulting and systems integration company has chosen RFIDSupplyChain.com, an online RFID store which offers do-it-yourself kits and solutions to common RFID applications, as exclusive distributor of BlueBean's RFID solutions and RFID products.

RFIDSupplyChain.com has created a special section on their website called "RFID Solutions" where customers can check out all of BlueBean's products including RFID solutions, RFID Development Lab Kits, Conveyor Portal, RFID Portal and RFID Controller.

Via PRWeb

The market research firm RNCOS has come out with a new report titled "RFID: Outlook China". Some highlights:

-          The RFID market in China has sustained its modest growth ratio of 8.55% in Q4 of 2005. The size of the RFID market in China grew from RMB 568 million in the third quarter to RMB 617 million in the fourth quarter in 2005

-          The manufacturing segment should be prospective entry field for the RFID industry.

-          In the Q4, the RFID market was busy with the launch of 2G ID cards, and implementations in fields where it is already applied on a large scale, such as public transportation, campus management, property/residential area management, etc.

-          China has a great future in the manufacturing sector. There is a large application of logistics and availability of a substantial working capital in manufacturing procedures.

Though the exhibited rate of growth is moderate, the market still holds the potential.

Via [PR Minds]