RFID Weekly News Roundup June 11, 2009

This article was originally published by RFID Update.

June 11, 2009—RFID is helping usher in summer by making it more convenient to get an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen and to create your own Coke-based beverages. But wash your hands before you do -- there's now an RFID system to detect that too. These stories highlight this week's news, which also includes several stories about innovation in healthcare identification and electronic medical records (EMR).

• Savi Technology, which is celebrating 20 years in business, announced GlobalTag, a new tracking device that combines active RFID, GPS and satellite communication. The mix of technologies enables tagged assets to be tracked where there are no local readers. Savi plans to work with the DASH7 Alliance (see DASH7 Alliance Forms to Advance Active RFID Standard) to standardize the tag. The company also announced version 6.0 of its SmartChain software solution.
   
• Coca-Cola is trialing new self-service drink dispensers that combine flavorings from RFID-tagged cartridges to provide more than 100 beverage combinations. RFID readers within the dispensers record which flavor combinations were used so Coke can analyze the data for potential product development. See a full article on the program here.
   
• Versus Technology has developed a system that uses RFID or infrared (IR) employee ID badges to help healthcare facilities audit how often employees wash their hands. Readers are installed in soap dispensers to automatically record when employees use them. Healthcare workers comply with recommended hand hygiene procedures less than 50 percent of the time, which is a contributing factor in hospital-acquired infections, according to industry data in Versus' announcement.
   
• Connectyx Technologies, an Arizona firm that develops personal health record technologies, announced it is partnering with I-DENTI-FIED to integrate RFID chips into dentures to identify the wearer. Connectyx said the system could be developed for use in human teeth.
   
• Socket Mobile of Newark, California announced its SoMo 650Rx handheld computer with integrated RFID reader is now compatible with electronic medical record systems from Optimus EMR.
   
• Convergence Systems Limited (CSL) won a contract to provide passive UHF RFID equipment to Hong Kong International Airport, which tracks baggage with RFID. See the announcement.
   
• Developers at the Academia RFID Centre of Excellence in Montreal announced they have developed software tools to integrate Motorola's RD5000 mobile RFID reader with Microsoft's BizTalk RFID server. The development work includes interfaces to exchange RFID information and data from accelerometer and proximity sensors.
   
• WinWare, a Georgia-based provider of tool management systems, announced it has developed three new sizes of its Accu-Drawers, which use built-in RFID readers to automatically record when tagged tools are placed in and removed from the cabinet.
   
• BookFactory, which manufactures notebooks used in scientific labs, will embed them with RFID technology from FileTrail to facilitate tracking. San Jose, California-based FileTrail said its system can be used for check-in/check-out operations and to help protect intellectual property. See the announcement for more details.
   
• Omni-ID announced its passive UHF tags have been certified to the ATEX EN60079-0 and EN60079-11 safety standards, signifying they have been designated as safe to operate in hazardous environments and are considered intrinsically safe.
   
• iDTRONIC introduced I-collect, a mobile RFID reader with Bluetooth and USB interfaces for integration with PDAs and other devices. It is available in low frequency (125 KHz) and high frequency (13.56 MHz, ISO 14443 and ISO 15693 standard) versions.
   
• Sky-Trax of New Castle, Delaware, granted exclusive five-year distribution rights to its optical real time location system (RTLS) technology to Kollmorgan, a Swedish manufacturer of automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) that are used in materials handling. The firms will collaborate on product development and marketing, according to the announcement.
   
• Nabors Canada will use RFID systems from TrigPoint Solutions to track assets on its oil drilling rigs and provide data to its ERP and maintenance systems, Colorado-based TrigPoint announced.
   
• Indian firm C & B Electronics introduced its first passive UHF reader, the Scion I. The fixed-position reader is networkable and comes with a software development kit.
   
• UK firm Transense Technologies announced it formed a subsidiary, Translogik, to distribute an RFID tire sensor for monitoring and lifetime identification to original equipment manufacturers and resellers.
   
• European retailer NP Collection won the Golden Tag Award honoring its item-level tagging program (see Finnish Retailer Gets Quick ROI on Item-Level RFID). The award is presented by RFID trade group RFID Nordic and Packmarknaden, a trade publication in Sweden. Tag provider UPM Raflatac won the Minitag Award for its involvement in the project. See the announcement.

Previous RFID Update coverage from this week included:

• A profile of asset tracking solutions provider Fluensee, which is winning customers with its software-as-a-service offering (see SaaS Suits Fluensee for RFID Solution Sales).
   
• News about an RFID-based loyalty program pilot at Dairy Queen that features electronic coupons sent to customers' cell phones, which are redeemed using an RFID sticker attached to the phone (see Dairy Queen Pilots RFID-Based Mobile Marketing Platform).