RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) Sheetal Jain IS-553 Term Paper

Outlines What is RFID? History How RFID Works Applications of RFID Issues with RFID When to use and when to avoid Successful Implementation factors Key Players Market Data/Forecast

What is RFID ? Refers to all Radio Frequency enabled technology. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags are small bar code like tags Store up to 2 kb of data Contains small antenna to send signal to nearest reader of their presence.

History  Became part of daily life  RFID combined with cellular technology  Maturing in security and collision control  Commercial applications enter into mainstream  Emergence of standards  Widely deployed  Explosion of RFID development  Early Commercial use in industrial environment First Used During World War II to Identify Allied Planes

How RFID works? Three Major Components Tag Reader Application Server

Types of RFID Tags Active RFID tags have a battery, which is used to run the microchip's circuitry and to broadcast a signal to a reader (the way a cell phone transmits signals to a base station). Read/Write Expensive ($20 - $50) Long Reading Distance Active Tags Passive tags have no battery. Instead, they draw power from the reader, which sends out electromagnetic waves that induce a current in the tag's antenna Read Only Inexpensive ( < $1) Short Reading Distance Passive Tags

RFID Application Application of RFID tags is only limited to imagination. Currently RFID tags are widely used in following industries.  Supply Chain  Health Care  Public Transport  Currency  Agricultural  Defense  Entertainment  Many more….

RFID Application – Supply Chain Industry

RFID Application - HealthCare Industry

RFID Application – Felica Card* * Used in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan

Issues with RFID - Privacy The biggest concern among RFID critics. Tags information can be intercepted by any RFID reader in nearby area specially with passive tags.

Issues with RFID Different Frequency Standard across the world.  US – 915 MHz  Europe – 868MHz  Asia Pacific MHz Cost of RFID tag is very high (approx. 30 cents per tag) RFID tags may not be embedded within metal objects or items with high water content Tag and Reader Collision

When to use and When to avoid RFID RFID is a good alternative to Bar-code where “line of sight” is an issue. Highly Durable : In harsh industrial environment where bar code are not so effective. Cost effective alternative to Bar-code where volume is very high The variable cost of RFID (“cost of tags”) is very high – not suitable for all products (i.e. you can not put 30 cents worth tag on 60 cents worth of a product) Passive RFID shouldn’t be used when security is a key issue as passive tags can remit the signal to any reader. Can collide with other radio frequency enabled technology

Factors for successfully implementing RFID Inception  Identifying the right RFID tags active v.s. passive tags  Identifying right frequency US/Europe/Asia pacific  Identifying right Range  Selecting Right Vendor for tags, reader and software application Elaboration  Selecting the right tag, frequency and range  Developing some proof of concept to demonstrate how it works for a given application or how It can be integrated with other application.  Doing some stress test i.e. tag or reader jamming to create some high load scenario for collation and see how application works  Identify and mitigate high level security/privacy issues. Construction  Develop interfaces/connectors for the RFID readers to application  While developing solution adhering to ISO or other industry standard so that your application is scalable and flexible to integrate with any similar standard products. Transition  Installation strategy Hybrid implementation with other Auto-ID solution like bar- code?  Strategy to identify faulty application/tool and then involve right people from in-house or from vendor to provide solution

Major Players Chip Manufactures Texas Instruments Tag-Sys WhereNet PDC Reader Manufactures 3M Avante Alien PDC Software/Solution Providers Sun IBM InfoSys EXI Gurus Dr. Jeremy Landt – Transcore F. Sterzer - RCA Sanjay Sarma – MIT Lab

Market Data/Forecast Accordingly to WDRG (Wireless Data Research Group) World RFID Market to grow from $ 1bn in 2003 to $3bn by 2007 Spending on RFID for the retail supply chain will grow in fits and bursts between 2004 and 2007 before flattening and stalling out in 2008 [IDC] RFID – an Extended Internet – Forrester RFID in Cell phone [Nokia] Printable RFID tags [

More information… wwws.sun.com/software/solutions/rfid

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