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At Former Landfill, RFID Monitors Workers and Waste
The tags are attached atop workers' helmets, as well as to the waste containers. According to Ubisense's Becker, the tracking system provided by Ubisense and ESG allows both employees and containers to be tracked to an accuracy of 30 centimeters (12 inches). The tags operate on the 6 to 8 GHz spectrum and utilize a proprietary air-interface protocol.
The tags communicate with readers approximately two to three times per second; they could transmit up to 20 times per second, though they don't in order to conserve battery life. Because the system allows two-way tracking, it can also monitor the battery status of individual tags. The sensors are arranged into a pattern that divides the site into discrete cells, and the tags communicate with sensors associated with the particular cell they are in.
The system is presently deployed across a portion of the site measuring approximately 8,000 square meters (86,000 square feet). The project is now entering its second phase, says Bruno Hausheer, a project manager for ARGE Phoenix, and is expected to expand to the entire contaminated "black" portion of the site—approximately 38,000 square meters (409,000 square feet)—by the start of 2009.
About 80 personnel tags and 100 container tags are currently in use at the Kölliken site, paired with about 40 readers. According to Becker, each tag costs approximately €60 to €70 ($94 to $110) and has a battery life of one to four years. Deploying the ultra-wideband system, he says, cost between €100,000 and €200,000 ($157,000 and $314,000).
At any particular time, Hausheer says, the system tracks between 10 and 20 employees simultaneously. The software also allows for the implementation of access rules—for instance, users can define access zones that will trigger alarms or event reporting if specified personnel enter areas to which they do not have access rights.
What's more, Kersten says, the location-based nature of the system also enables additional functionality. "The system could also tell you if a worker has gone through bad air," he states, "or whether they are having health problems and have fallen on the ground." Other industries with similar safety challenges, he adds—such as the chemical industry, or on oil rigs—could benefit from a similar solution as well.
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The tags communicate with readers approximately two to three times per second; they could transmit up to 20 times per second, though they don't in order to conserve battery life. Because the system allows two-way tracking, it can also monitor the battery status of individual tags. The sensors are arranged into a pattern that divides the site into discrete cells, and the tags communicate with sensors associated with the particular cell they are in.
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| An active RFID tag is mounted atop each worker's hard hat. |
About 80 personnel tags and 100 container tags are currently in use at the Kölliken site, paired with about 40 readers. According to Becker, each tag costs approximately €60 to €70 ($94 to $110) and has a battery life of one to four years. Deploying the ultra-wideband system, he says, cost between €100,000 and €200,000 ($157,000 and $314,000).
What's more, Kersten says, the location-based nature of the system also enables additional functionality. "The system could also tell you if a worker has gone through bad air," he states, "or whether they are having health problems and have fallen on the ground." Other industries with similar safety challenges, he adds—such as the chemical industry, or on oil rigs—could benefit from a similar solution as well.
