RFID Review is a brief synopsis of events in the RFID industry.


Wisconsin state Governor Jim Doyle signed a law that bans forced RFID microchip implantation. Privacy advocates will no doubt be happy about this move by Wisconsin and other states. Privacy issues with RFID technology are of great concern to privacy advocates such as Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre of Spychips and CASPIAN.

It's an interesting step forward, then, that a number of large companies, including Procter & Gamble and Visa, have recently agreed upon a set of guidelines for the usage of RFID tags. The guidelines are aimed at any company planning to implement RFID technology in their consumer products, and suggest how these companies should inform their customers about the collection of private data.

RFID technology manufacture is slated to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the next decade and beyond. One of the issues that is already cropping up is that there are not enough skilled workers with RFID knowledge for the jobs that are just starting to open up. Middlesex College in the New England area of the United States is offering the first college RFID technician program in the area.

This is positive step forwards for RFID, and no doubt will be echoed by other colleges. I see community colleges being ahead of universities in this regard, as they tend to cater to fast-track program requirements, which the RFID industry is going to need.


Tags: tech-watch, RFID, radio frequency identification

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RFID Review is a brief synopsis of events in the RFID industry.

China is working on a national standard for RFID technologies and will release a Policy White Book. [via RFID Blog] [China Tech News] There a number of ongoing projects in the country, and the need for an RFID standard was perceived. Hopefully, this is a precedent, as a worldwide standard for RFID is sorely needed to manage the multiple technologies that actual make up radio frequency identification.

The school board in Tucson, Arizona is supplying a special BusPass for its 60,000 students in 120 schools. The pass will be RFID-enabled and have GPS functionality, and will help parents make sure that their kids are on board the bus and get to and from school safely. [via RFID Journal] No word on whether the cards will be tied on indestructible strings to kids' clothing. This seems like a logical development, but I'm wondering how long it'll be before kids start losing their cards, as kids are wont to do.

Ford Motors Canada has installed WhereNet's RFID-based freight and inventory management system at their Oakville, Ontario plant. Ford Motors has been using RFID at 50 facilities worldwide. [sources: The Globe and Mail, RFID Blog] They join GM and Chrysler, in Canada at least, in using RFID in supply chain and inventory management. Ford apparently handles 500 trailer-loads of deliveries on a daily basis. Using RFID reduces the time needed for finding a particular shipment, in their warehouse, from a half-hour to a few minutes.

NCR Corporation has been in the payments biz for a long time and have recast themselves as an RFID solutions provider. Their latest offerings are "peel-and-apply solutions including tags, readers, servers, printers and NCR software." [Supply Chain Review] Numerous corporations are heading towards using RFID in a big way, and are also deciding that purchasing an RFID tech manufacturer is a financial feasible option. NCR is in fact a large corporation, but they might become a target for a buyout. Ideal buyout candidates would be a payments processor such as one of the larger credit card companies, all of whom are offering new RFID-based "smart" payment cards.


Tags: tech-watch, RFID, radio frequency identification, Ford, NCR

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