RFID tag-killing plan from IBM

Researchers at IBM may have come up with a solution to the privacy concerns surrounding the implementation and use of RFID technology, reports DC Velocity.

The researchers have devised an alternative to the current kill commands specified by EPCglobal in its Generation 2 protocol, which, from a consumer`s perspective, offer no visible indication that a tag has actually been killed. IBM`s new research suggests two easy ways for consumers to deactivate an RFID tag visibly after making a purchase.

The researchers have proposed that RFID tags be manufactured with something like a pull-tab. Pulling the tab would deactivate the tag by removing the tag`s antenna. Alternatively the antenna could be made from a scratch-off material that would enable consumers to immobilise the chip by scratching off the antenna.

Sun Microsystems has announced the availability of an RFID industry solution made up of software, hardware and services to address the specific requirements of the pharmaceutical industry.

The RFID solution helps to combat drug counterfeiting by verifying and certifying the authenticity of drugs using electronic product codes throughout the supply chain.

A company statement claims pharmaceutical companies can use the RFID solution to verify a drug package`s validity and authenticity as it moves through the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the consumer at the point-of-sale.

In addition to helping the pharmaceutical industry curb drug counterfeiting and diverting, Sun`s RFID solution can help healthcare providers reduce medical errors through the tracking of patients, critical medical information and records.

RFID applications that envision RFID tags on people and products were among the innovations featured at this year`s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, according to an IOL report.

Future watchers were shown RFID-enabled mobile phones, which shoppers could use to interrogate RFID labels on wine bottles to get information on whether it is a good vintage as well as an RFID tagging system that triggers SMS alerts if children fail to check in at school sensor stations to prove they arrived safely.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of RFID food and livestock case studies, providing detailed accounts of RFID in action.

The case studies are drawn from 19 countries, including Botswana, Namibia and SA.

There are 33 studies of RFID on food for tracking, tracing, monitoring condition and even on supermarket shelves and for payment in restaurants. Seven case studies cover RFID on or in livestock including cattle, ostriches, sheep, reindeer, fish and pigs.

Goodyear has announced it will start the 2006 racing season with racing`s first deployment of RFID technology in the form of an embedded computer chip in the tires to help manage the leased inventory.

Goodyear says the RFID technology will assist in the implementation of NASCAR`s new controlled testing procedures, which were developed by the sanctioning body to reduce private team testing next year in an effort to level the playing field for all teams.

Initially, RFID will be used to enable Goodyear to track every tyre taken to the race track, but the company is exploring several other data options to further the technological capability of racing tyre manufacturing and performance.

Gaming Partners International says it has secured a major contract with Galaxy Resorts to supply more than 600 000 RFID gaming chips to the new Rio and Grand Waldo casinos scheduled to open in Macau, China early next year.

According to Gambling Magazine, casinos are increasingly turning to radio frequency identification technology to protect against patrons trying to cash in counterfeit gaming chips and to stop cheaters at blackjack, poker and other card tables.

Gaming Partners has sold more than five million 125KHz RFID gaming chips and installed approximately 300 reader devices at 40 casinos worldwide. A casino in Las Vegas began experimenting with RFID chips at some blackjack tables earlier this year.

ITWorld Canada reports one of the first pioneering applications of RFID technology was not to track goods passing through a supply chain, but tracking fish moving through an ecosystem.

The report says the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federally-owned not-for-profit public utility headquartered in Portland, Oregon, has been using RFID since 1986 to track salmon migration patterns through the Columbia River basin`s vast and complex network of 400 hydropower dams and waterways.

The technology is used to bring scientific accuracy to the study of declining salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest. Each year, about two million salmon are tagged by the BPA`s biologists and engineers. The tiny, passive RFID tags can upload up to 64bits of information when they are activated by salmon swimming past readers.

The tracking system allows up to 16 billion combinations, so each tag is essentially a unique identifier, with its own frequency, allowing biologists to collect highly detailed information.