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RFID TechnologyMike Arnold

Randall Chang

Brent Hedberg

Lauren Nelson

Brad Samples

Mike Arnold

Randall Chang

Brent Hedberg

Lauren Nelson

Brad Samples

RFID Technology

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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.

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RFID History

Technology used in RFID’s was first developed in the 1920’s

First used by Soviet’s 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 1960’s

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RFID System Components

RFID TagTransponderLocated on the object

RFID ReaderTransceiverCan read and write data to Tag

Data Processing Subsystem

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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

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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

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Data Processing Subsystem

Backend System Connected via high-speed network Computers used for business planning (ERP) Database storage

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

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RFID - Current Uses RFID’s 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

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RFID Implants

Before After implant surgery

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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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RFID’s and EPC Systems

Electronic Product Codes (EPC) A code electronically recorded on an RFID

tag EPC is a 64-bit or 96-bit code

Intended to be an improvement on the UPC barcode system

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RFID’s - Active vs. Passive

Active RFID Passive RFIDTag Power Source Internal to tag Energy transferred using

RF from reader

Tag Battery Yes No

Availability of power Continuous Only in field of reader

Required signal strength to read tag

Very Low Very High

Range Up to 100 meters Up to 3-5m, usually less

Multi-tag reading 1000’s of tags recognized – speeds up to 100 miles/hour.

Few hundred within 3m of reader

Data Storage Up to 1Mb of read/write with sophisticated search and access

128 bytes of read/write

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Active RFID Tags

Battery Powered tags Have much greater range – 100m Hold much more information – Kbytes Can integrate sensing technology

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 Auto-ID 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 individual’s 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 purchaser’s knowledge May be possible to tie RFID ID to purchaser’s 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

Their main interest is in tracking pallets or crates containing many items, rather than to tag items individually

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.

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Case Study: Wal-Mart

First phase of implementation involved its top 100 suppliers tagging cases and pallets of products headed to three Dallas/Fort Worth area distribution centers by January 2005. After that, an additional 37 suppliers voluntarily asked to meet

the same milestone. In the initial test in April, 2004, cases and pallets of 21 products

from eight suppliers were shipped to Wal-Mart's Sanger,Texas distribution center and then local Supercenters with RFID tags attached.

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 RFID’s 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 it’s 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