News for the Week of Dec. 16, 2002

Matrics Makes Security Push
The company will market its RFID system for airline baggage, air cargo, container tracking and access control applications. It says its UHF tags, which are inexpensive and offer a read range of up to 20 feet, can replace active tags for some applications.
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MasterCard to Test RFID Card
Next month, MasterCard International will launch a pilot in Orlando, Florida, to test market acceptance of a new RFID card program called PayPass. Will contactless smart cards finally catch on in the United States?
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US Tests Cargo Security System
The U.S. departments of Transportation and Defense have engaged PAR Technology Corp. and Savi Technology to test the ability of electronic bolt seals and satellite communications to secure goods in transit.
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Alien CTO Joins Auto-ID Center
Roger Stewart played a key roll in developing the Auto-ID Center's first microchip specification. He has joined the center as a consultant and will work on advanced EPC chip designs and the center's proposed patent pool.
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Identix Misses Revenue Target
The largest biometrics company in the United States says sales are being hurt by budgetary problems in Washington and by the dramatic drop in technology spending by businesses.
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FEATURE
Taking RFID Beyond Identification
Prof. Ted Selker and his Context Aware Computing Group within MIT's famed Media Lab are using RFID technology to power sensors, transmitters and other microelectronic devices. Their work could influence everything from the way you drive to how you cook.
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OP-ED
If There's A Patent Pool, Should You Jump In?
Everyone involved with RFID agrees that more standards are needed to help the technology reach its potential. But a patent pool may just add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. By Dan Mullen, Interim CEO of AIM
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