Pharma Label Maker to Test Tags That Record Temps

Montalbano is in the process of applying for a patent on its MultiTag platform, the basis for all its tags. It is called MultiTag because the basic tag design can be adapted for different purposes (such as a tag that measures vibrations, one that logs shock or one that tracks humidity).

"The concept of a low-power, single-chip platform designed for RFID applications is innovative," Grosso says. "To stress the concept, I would say that our chip is a generator of RFID products. You think of an application, you find the right sensor, you stick it on the chip and there you go—the product is done."

Montalbano's MT Sens tags

At the Active RFID Europe and RFID Smart Labels conference in London in mid-September, Montalbano demonstrated two different tags in its MT Sens product family: the MT Shock and the MT Vibe. The MT Shock tag is designed to monitor physical shocks that could potentially damage an object to which it is attached. The MT Vibe tag, built to measure continuous vibrations, could be applied to structures requiring regular maintenance, such as bridges or monorail tracks, due to exposure to vibrations.

Grosso said the demonstration was well received: "There were three of us at the booth, and we couldn't deal with all the people who came to ask questions."

The MT Shock and MT Vibe tags ready for production at high volumes. Two other tags in the family (MT Humidity and MT Light) have been tested in Montalbano's lab and a feasibility study is complete. No field study has been conducted.

MT Sens tags have 1.5 kilobytes of memory embedded in the chip, split between program and data memory. The latter can be expanded, but the program memory cannot. In the basic smallest configuration, the tags can store up to 500 temperature readings. However, Grosso says, the data memory tags can be expanded to log up to 16,000 temperatures.

The tags also have an onboard battery to power the chip when it acquires, selects, processes and stores sensor data. To transmit data, however, the tags depend on backscatter technology, using radio waves from the interrogator to power up the microchip and send out a signal. At present, batteries provided by Solicore give the tags a lifetime of six to 18 months. Down the road, Montalbano plans to begin using a rechargeable battery like the ones offered by Bullith or Infinite Power Solutions.