Radio Frequency Identification So What?
Dec 25, 2015
Radio Frequency Identification
So What?
What is RFID
• Type of technology that uses electromagnetic radio frequency to identify objects, animals and humans
• Transponders and Readers
• Replacement of barcodes
Types of RFID tags
Type of Tag
Power source
Range Description
Passive Rely on radio signal that was transmitted to them
10 cm – a few meters
Can only reflect signals back
Semi Passive
Internal battery
10-100 meters
Power source activates chip, does not emit signal
Active Internal battery
Hundreds of meters
Generate powerful responses – reliable and effective
It goes way back…
• WWII – U.S., British, Germans, Japanese using plane radar
• 1970’s Los Alamos Nat’l Laboratory – tracking nuclear material
• 1950’s – electronic article surveillance tags
• 1980’s – use of RFID for bridge tolls
Progress of RFID
• Auto-ID center 1999• Track items through
supply chain• Sarma and Brock create
network to link objects to internet
• 2003-100 companies supporting Auto-ID
• EPC used by retailers to track goods
Wal-Mart meets RFID
• Use RFID to count inventory and detect when they are out of stock
• Only 3 % of suppliers use RFID
• Take small steps – slowly implement system.
• Use RFID to support promotions
U.S. DoD uses RFID
• As of January 1, 2007 all cases and pallets must have RFID tags
• Tacking weapons and supplies shipped overseas
• Only passive tags used when in foreign countries so enemies can’t read the tags
Healthcare wants RFID
• Anti-Counterfeiting – history of medicines available at all times
• RFID on patients to give information about medical history.
• Error prevention – prevents wrong procedure from happening
Other Uses
The Concerns…
• Possibility of being tracked through our belongings
• Knowing where people are at all times.
• Using RFID to find and steal goods
• Information available to anyone with an RFID reader
References
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID• http://www.news.com/2010-1069-980325.html• http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/1338/1/129• http://www.idtechex.com/products/en/articles/
00000470.asp• http://www.informationweek.com/news/
showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198700170
• http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/1080/1/1/