Mojix Takes Passive UHF RFID to a New Level

The eGroup uses combined source and channel coding, based on mathematical algorithms often utilized in error correction for such applications as recovering corrupted data on a hard drive, or rectifying errors in noisy communications channels. Mojix employs source and channel encoding, in conjunction with the ability to encode tags that are pinpointed in 3-D space, to confirm all boxes are on a particular pallet. If 60 percent of the tags are read, the company says, it can confirm the presence of all tags because if a case were missing, the positions of some of the other cases would change, which the eGroup technique would recognize.

This, the company claims, gets around the need to read every tag in the center of a pallet. It allows a user to determine if a pallet has been tampered with, and can be utilized to provide electronic proof of delivery. It can also help prevent counterfeit goods from entering the supply chain, because only the goods' receiver has the key to unlock the eGroup data and recover the original serial numbers. (The same process could be applied to secure a population of tagged items on a store shelf, or on a display case.)

Mojix intends to unveil the Mojix STAR system this week at RFID Journal LIVE!, being held April 16 to 18. To demonstrate STAR's performance capabilities, the company plans to read standard passive UHF Gen 2 RFID tags from across the length of the Venetian Hotel exhibit hall—a distance of approximately 300 feet.

Kevin Duffy, Mojix's senior VP, says the STAR system will be sold as a solution for managing warehouses, back rooms and retail stores. "We're following the infrastructure need," he says. "There are a lot of applications, such as dock doors operations, where we can offer a turnkey solution."

Analysts who have already seen the Mojix STAR system describe it as "game changing," claiming it offers greater coverage and the ability to locate tags in 3-D. The company has not yet revealed pricing, but Duffy says he's confident the STAR system, available starting April 16, will be 20 to 25 percent cheaper for covering dock doors.