Nov 15, 2012The following are news announcements made during the past week.
RF Code Intros RFID-enabled Security Solution for Monitoring Personnel and Events
RF Code, a provider of IT asset-management and environmental- and power-monitoring solutions, has announced an RFID and infrared (IR) solution designed to provide an additional layer of security for a company's critical assets. The new offering—known as the Proximity Solution—collects data about events (such as a door opening, a light switch being turned on or a button being pushed) within defined, restricted areas (such as cages within a data center that house servers running transactional data), and correlates that information with information collected regarding the whereabouts and activities of personnel. The solution's ability to correlate what occurred or which item was moved with the individual who moved it, RF Code reports, provides companies with the controls they require to fully account for their critical mobile assets—from health-care and IT equipment to warehoused inventory and more. The solution includes RF Code's A760 Proximity Locators, which leverage the same 433 MHz active RFID technology underlying all of the company's RFID tags and sensors. When an event occurs, such as a door opening, the A760 Proximity Locator wired to that particular door transmits a short-range encoded signal, RF Code explains. The Proximity Locator transmits an RF pulse pattern (message) containing a unique code that creates an event perimeter surrounding the event's physical space, which is typically 6 feet. These RF pulses immediately establish communication with all proximity-enabled personnel badges in the event space. The personnel badges, equipped with on-board IR and motion sensors, monitor the environment for incoming signals, and then report both their own unique IDs and IR location codes. Such information, RF Code reports, is useful in identifying a limitless range of unauthorized activity, from ascertaining who is using a particular piece of equipment that someone else may need to determining the presence of unauthorized personnel in off-limits areas, to discovering the presence of a person sneaking into a facility behind a "badged" employee. According to RF Code, the Proximity Solution can be part of a company's overall PCI infrastructure compliance efforts, which leverage information security standards set by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council to help control and minimize points of risk to fraud or compromise of sensitive information. The PCI Security Standards Council has developed the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), among other specifications and materials. While RF Code notes that its solution is not referenced in the PCI DSS standard, and that there are many aspects to the standard, the company believes that the Proximity Solution enhances security, as well as the "audit-ability" of who does what within a data center, and can complement existing security and access-control systems.
Ubisense Launches Mapping App that Can Combine RFID and Other Data With Google Maps
Ubisense Group, a provider of location-based smart technology, has announced myWorld, an application that can leverage location data from a variety of sources, including Ubisense's ultra-wideband (UWB) location RFID tags that transmit signals to nearby receivers, with location-tracking information analyzed and visualized using Ubisense's software. The application takes advantage of features available through Google Maps to provide enterprises with fast and easy access to live information regarding their assets and operations, and presents datasets from multiple sources so that they can be viewed in one place. For example, Ubisense explains, being able to visualize network assets with a backdrop from Google Street View, combined with back-office data, can greatly help workers understand a field job prior to going on site, thereby reducing the need for multiple site visits. According to Ubisense, myWorld uses familiar Google search capabilities to query and display the location of data with Google Maps and Google Street View in a Web browser. The application receives live data feeds via standard IT protocols from enterprise solutions, mapping systems, GeoSpatial systems, RFID and other technologies, such as Google Coordinate, to track assets' locations. The asset-location data can then be viewed on a PC, laptop, tablet or smart phone. In order to receive the feeds, Ubisense provides the necessary configurations for linking the data sources with the application; a user can choose which data the application presents. The myWorld application is available directly from Ubisense and its resellers worldwide. Customers can either run myWorld within their own IT environment, paying a licensing fee, or use a hosted version in Ubisense's cloud and pay a subscription. Pricing varies, depending upon the specific configuration and the number of users.
Smartrac Unveils Implant System for Animal Identification
Smartrac, an RFID inlay supplier headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has announced a new RFID-enabled implant system for animal identification. The glass transponders, which operate at 134.2 kHz and are compliant with the ISO 11784 and 11785 standards, come in two sizes: one measuring 1.4 millimeters (0.06 inch) in diameter and 10 millimeters (0.4 inch) in length, the other measuring 2.12 millimeters by 12 millimeters (0.08 inch by 0.08 inch). Composed of biocompatible glass, the tags are designed for insertion into the skin of pets, horses, birds, zoo animals, fish and laboratory animals. The syringe utilized to implant the transponders features an ergonomic design, Smartrac reports, with a precision-cut cannula to ensure easy subcutaneous implantation. Each package of transponders is sterilized and sealed, the company adds, and includes bar-code labels to simplify the process of animal registration.
Chinese RFID firm Invengo Technology Corp. has announced that it has made a multimillion-dollar investment in a new RFID tag and inlay manufacturing plant located in Raleigh, N.C. The facility is now open, and the company expects to begin production during the first quarter of 2013, according to Joe T. Gomillion II, Invengo's executive VP for the Americas and Europe. The manufacturing facility will have unlimited capacity, Gomillion says, as well as full capabilities for IC attachments and inlay manufacturing. The new plant will serve as Invengo's U.S. headquarters, complementing the existing RFID inlay-manufacturing facility located in Shenzhen, China. In August 2011, Invengo announced that it had raised approximately $108.5 million through a private placement of shares (see RFID News Roundup: Invengo Raises $108 Million in Private-Placement Stock Offering), in a strategic effort to build its position as an industry leader for ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID and expand its global position. According to Gomillion, producing IC attachments and inlays within the United States provides the company with faster lead times, high-quality production capabilities, increased support and a greater market presence in North America. The North Carolina facility will house manufacturing capabilities, quality control, sales and marketing activities, along with an RF testing and design center for the American and European markets.
TracTech Systems Announces Printer for RFID-enabled Jewelry Tags
TracTech Systems, a provider of RFID-enabled jewelry inventory-management technology, has announced its P50 Desktop Printer, which the company says is a compact durable printer-encoder for TracTech's ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2-based RFID jewelry, diamond and watch tags. The P50 printer measures 12.5 inches deep, 8.5 inches wide and 7.5 inches high. It features a one-step process to encode and print tags, according to the company, and underwent stress testing in order to ensure durability.
Frost & Sullivan Says New Study Indicates Real-Time Location Systems Are Becoming Essential
Frost & Sullivan has released a new study about real-time location systems (RTLS) that indicates the market is on the upswing. The study, entitled "Analysis of the Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) Market," finds that market-earned revenues exceeded $382.8 million in 2011, and estimates that this will reach $3.52 billion by 2018. According to Nandini Bhattacharya, Frost & Sullivan's automatic-identification senior research analyst, the revenues include the collective sales from tags, hardware, software and services. The Wi-Fi RTLS is the largest market, he says, contributing a little more than 55 percent of the total RTLS global revenues. The Americas region, including North and South America, is the biggest market in terms of revenue, holding a 46.9 percent share of the total RTLS global market. According to Frost & Sullivan's analysis, RTLS technology has become an essential need, while other technologies, such as bar codes, radio frequency identification and global positioning systems (GPS), have constraints in terms of exact location-tracking. RTLS is the only one that has the ability to accurately map and provide reliable location information, the research firm reports, which has been the leading factor in fostering the growth of this high-potential market. The availability of advanced and innovative products has attracted a growing number of players to the market, according to Frost & Sullivan, and the various solutions providers employ different technologies. The lack of a common standard makes applications proprietary and expensive, and although costs have reduced over the past few years, the research firm notes, they are still prohibitive. This impedes market growth, as many prospective customers are hesitant to own such systems due to budgetary constraints.
