Motorola split to boost RFID

Motorola claims the company's split into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility will lead to greater investments in radio-frequency identification (RFID), reports RFID Journal.

Bob Sanders, senior vice-president and general manager of Motorola Solutions, says RFID is the fastest growing area of the company's portfolio. "As we manage our product portfolio, we are looking at where the growth will be going forward, and that's where we will invest.”

Sanders adds: "It is too early to get into specifics, but a lot of the money from our enterprise solutions went into turning around the mobility business. Now that the companies are separate, we can funnel dollars into the best opportunity.”

The Otago Museum in New Zealand plans to install an RFID tracking system to monitor its estimated two million collection items at the museum, states RFID News.

Fixed readers installed through the facility will relay data, updating each artefact's location in real-time on the museum's computerised collection management system.

The system is expected to improve security and staff efficiency, as staff will no longer be required to manually input information whenever an artefact is moved.

University of Dayton researcher Bob Kauffman has developed a sensor that can help keep people safe by detecting aircraft damage, possible concussions and product tampering, says University of Dayton.

The RFID sensor called a status and motion activated radio-frequency tag (Smart) is designed to detect whether an aircraft wing clamp has been compromised.

That same technology could be used to tell if a composite aircraft panel has sustained a sub-surface crack or, in a completely different venue, whether a football player has suffered a blow to his helmet severe enough to cause a concussion, even if he doesn't show symptoms, Kauffman says.