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TI Expands 13.56 MHz Line of Tag-it™ Transponders with CD/DVD Inlay and Circular Inlay |
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As part of its ongoing development to offer a broad array of RFID transponders, Texas Instruments is introducing two new additions to its line of 13.56 MHz Tag-it HF-I products: the 32.5 millimeter CD/DVD Inlay and the 24.2 millimeter Circular Inlay. Both inlays are compliant with the ISO/IEC 15693 vicinity card standard and the ISO/IEC 18000-3 item management standard, making them suitable for adoption worldwide. RFID systems integrators are implementing TI's new 13.56 ISO/IEC inlays for end-user applications including item-level management of electronic materials in libraries, pharmaceutical products, and consumer products on retail shelves, as well as for patient identification in hospitals and patron ID, ticketing and wireless payment at amusement parks and sports venues.
The inlays' ultra-thin design allows them to easily be incorporated into a range of packaging materials such as CDs/DVDs, plastic bottles, labels, cardboard boxes, wristbands and keyfobs.
“We are continuing to experience an extremely high demand for high-frequency 13.56 MHz transponders and TI has expanded both its manufacturing lines and product offerings to give our systems integrator and end-user customers the flexibility to innovatively apply RFID solutions in their businesses,” said Bill Allen, director of marketing and communications for Texas Instruments RFid Systems.
CD/DVD Inlay
 TI's Tag-it HF-I CD/DVD Inlay has been specifically designed to be attached to the case or molded into the plastic hub in the center of a CD or DVD. Applications for the TI inlay include item and shelf level identification and tracking of CDs and DVDs in libraries, and retail music or movie rental stores. Staff can use handheld RFID readers to quickly and easily double-check that the correct items are stored in the right order on the proper shelf or rack. The application can also be automated through shelf-level RFID readers linked to the store's centralized inventory management system.
Circular Inlay
 At only 24.2 mm in diameter, the Tag-it HF-I Circular Inlay is suitable for a range of applications, from pharmaceutical supply chain management to access control and ticketing. This mini circular inlay provides an additional level of flexibility for applications such as pharmaceutical item-level tracking, facilitating the attachment of the inlay to the bottom of prescription bottles, for example. The inlay also facilitates advanced patron ID and payment applications, allowing end users such as sports venues, amusement parks and special events, to customize RFID-enabled ID wristbands to nearly any shape.
For more information on TI's RFID technology solutions, please visit www.ti-rfid.com or call 1-888-937-6536 ( North America ) or +1 972-575-4364 (International).
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U.S. Navy to Expand Capabilities and Use of ScenPro RFID-based TacMedCS
The United States Navy, which has field tested ScenPro Inc.'s RFID-based Tactical Medical Coordination System (TacMedCS) to track the status and location of wounded soldiers and others arriving for treatment at Fleet Hospital Three in Iraq, plans to expand the capabilities of the system to include satellite phone data transfer capabilities into a Web-based medical command and control tool called MedCOP (Medical Common Operational Picture). Using this approach, casualty information can be gathered in the field and transferred to a centralized database, where MedCOP can display the information to medical commanders, providers, planners, analysts, and support personnel. As casualties are evacuated to various treatment facilities, the location information is updated by TacMedCS and displayed in MedCOP to allow for a more efficient and accurate means of casualty tracking.
Early results from a Limited Technical Assessment (LTA) conducted by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab of both TacMedCS and MedCOP show a 98 percent plus rate of accuracy of data transmitted throughout the electronic patient management system. After the LTA is officially completed, plans are to move to a Limited Operational Test in Iraq for additional testing and evaluation.
TacMedCS allows medical professionals to use TI-RFid-enabled Smart Band® wristbands, manufactured by Precision Dynamics Corporation of San Fernando, Calif., and hand-held units, modified by A.C.C. Systems, Inc. of Glen Head, NY, to identify patients and to automatically update their status, location and medical information. The Navy began development and implementation of TacMedCS to replace a labor-intensive entirely manual system consisting of pen and paper, cardboard tags and a centrally-located whiteboard to show patient movement throughout the field and hospital environments.
For more information on TacMedCS, contact Bob Williams, program manager, ScenPro, Inc. at 972-437-5001, bwilliams@scenpro.com .
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TI Donates HF Inlays for Blind Navigational Study at the University of Florida
 At the University of Florida at Gainesville, one Ph.D. candidate is building an RFID-based grid to help visually impaired and other disabled students navigate through campus, with the support of a National Science Foundation grant awarded in July 2004. Scooter Willis, a student in the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), is creating RFID grids in carpeting, hallway baseboards, and along outdoor walkways and intersections. The system will provide an automatic navigation system for blind students using 2,000 high frequency 13.56 MHz ISO 15693 inlays and encapsulated tags donated by Texas Instruments.
Blind students participating in the study will have RFID readers from SkyeTek Inc., of Boulder, Co., integrated into their shoe and/or cane, which will read location and environmental information stored on the RFID tags, such as location coordinates, and details about the surroundings. The data will be communicated via Bluetooth to a handheld PDA or cellular phone device that will use a text to speech function to relay the information to the user.
For example, Willis envisions a student using the system to be able to find out that she is 10-feet away from the next room, that she has then reached the entrance to classroom E101, that there is a door with a round knob on the left, and the door opens into the room, and so on. Once tested in an academic environment, the system could be expanded to city streets and intersections, providing additional access and safety for the visually impaired. Because the information describing the immediate surroundings is stored on the tag itself, no connection to a central server is required, minimizing the dependency on wireless communication and maintaining user privacy.
“The visually impaired face significant challenges when leaving the comforts of the home to take on the unknown environment of college campuses,” said Scooter Willis, who has embarked on the study under the advisement of Dr. Sumi Helal, professor of computer science at the University of Florida. “Most campuses are not designed with the disabled in mind – imagine not being able to see signs and other directional cues, but still trying to find your way to your dorm, the student union, your classes, or to speak with a professor during office hours.”
“RFID is a cost effective solution to this problem, with enough memory on each tag for us to store the level of detail a person would need for navigation,” Willis continued. “This technology also allows users to benefit from a new tool, helping them to be more independent, without calling attention to their disabilities.”
The first phase of the study involves developing the RFID grid in select classrooms and along indoor and outdoor pathways on campus, as well as developing the shoe and walking cane reader systems. Further phases include expanding beyond the confines of the university campus, and continued development of the user interface. Willis' project is expected to run through the summer of 2006. For more information contact Scooter Willis at willishf@ufl.edu or visit www.harris.cise.ufl.edu.
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Sundex Information Systems Joins Team Tag-it
Sundex Inc., an RFID software development and integration specialist, has joined TI's Team Tag-it™ Program, a partnership of industry-leading companies dedicated to the development and adoption of RFID solutions.
Sundex specializes in collecting data remotely through wireless PDAs and RFID technology, and making this information instantly available across enterprise systems. Sundex's products -- Spike™ PDA, Spike™ Central and Spike™ Integration -- have enabled large companies, from various industry sectors, to save millions of dollars.
“Sundex provides consultation and integration services to organizations that plan to implement an RFID system; everything from technology evaluation, system design, troubleshooting and integration,” said Paul Heino, President and CEO, Sundex Inc. “Our RFID service offering, in connection with Team Tag-it, will help service a growing need for RFID system integrators and solutions in the North American marketplace.”
For more information on Sundex, please visit www.sundex.com . For additional details regarding the Team Tag-it program, visit www.ti-rfid.com.
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RFID Educational Events Being Held this Fall
TI-sponsored educational RFID opportunities are making their way around the globe this fall. Event producer Shorecliff Communications LLC is expanding its conference series to include European and Asian destinations with its RFID Europe Conference Series, RFID China and RFID Japan events.
RFID Europe Conference Series
The RFID Europe Conference Series provides three opportunities for you to learn the basics of RFID from RFID leaders and technology experts, in collaboration with RFID International. The daylong program breaks down all the pieces of the puzzle to help you select, build and deploy RFID systems. In addition, technology experts will address the overall business case for RFID and discuss how enterprise users, integrators and value-added resellers can improve their businesses through the incorporation of RFID. The events will be held on October 18, 2004 in London, October 21, 2004 in Brussels, and on October 27, 2004 in Munich.
RFID China and RFID Japan
RFID China and RFID Japan are the first conferences providing comprehensive RFID technology information from leading technology suppliers and showcasing a comprehensive suite of RFID technologies and applications in these countries. The conference and exhibition will give attendees the opportunity to choose from a variety of classes, workshops and discussions with exhibiting solutions providers. Events will be held on October 7, 2004 in Tokyo and October 11-12, 2004 in Beijing.
U.S. RFID Boot Camps
The RFID Boot Camps are designed for both executives and engineers/IT managers to gain a ground-floor view of RFID technology, an overview of the business models for applications success in five industry sectors as well as educational sessions to help guide VARs and Systems Integrators in achieving real revenues and ROI, right now. Events will be held on October 8 in New York; November 8 in San Francisco; November 16 in Orlando and November 29 in Boston.
For additional details or to register, contact Shorecliff Communications by phone at +1 800-608-9641 or via e-mail at info@scievents.com, or visit www.shorecliffcommunications.com .
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