Dec 12, 2013The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations: Phychips; Zebra and Entigral; Ekahau; NiceLabel; and Versus Technology.
Phychips Unveils New Arete RFID Readers for Phones, Tablets
RFID hardware manufacturer Phychips is adding two new models to its lineup of EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) readers that plug into the headphone jack of a smartphone or tablet PC: the Arete POP Mini and the Arete POP Plus. The Mini, measuring 37 millimeters by 43 millimeters by 12.5 millimeters (1.5 inches by 1.7 inches by 0.5 inch) in size, offers a read range of approximately 20 centimeters (7.9 inches), while the Plus, measuring 68 millimeters by 81 millimeters by 21.5 millimeters (2.7 inches by 3.2 inches by 0.8 inch), supports a read range of up to 2 meters (6.6 feet). The new readers, which the company plans to launch in early 2014, will join the previously released midsize Arete model: the POP, which measures 51 millimeters by 50 millimeters by 15 millimeters (2 inches by 2 inches by 0.6 inch), with a 1-meter (3.3-foot) read range. All three devices are compatible with most Apple iOS and Google Android devices (above iOS 6.0 and Android 2.3.3). Last month, Phychips announced that Thinkify would be the company's new distributor for its Arete readers (see RFID News Roundup: Phychips Selects Thinkify as Its Exclusive North American Distributor).
Zebra's Zatar IoT Cloud Platform to Integrate With Entigral's TraxWare Software
Entigral Systems, Inc., a leader in sensor-based automation for inventory and asset tracking, and Zebra Technologies have announced a partnership that will support the Zatar platform. Zatar is Zebra's new cloud-based platform for enterprise sensor data collection and management (see Zebra Launches Zatar 'Internet of Things' Service for RFID Readers, Networked Devices). Entigral's customers use RFID technology to address asset tracking, inventory tracking and other mission-critical, complex workflows for which vital asset information must be collected and acted upon. Currently, Entigral's TraxWare software is installed at numerous manufacturing facilities nationwide, and is used to manage and monitor assets, inventory and work-in-process via RFID. With the integration of TraxWare into Zatar, Entigral and Zebra say they are making available a solution for customers looking to extend their process control and visibility across multiple locations through the cloud. "TraxWare and Zatar make an ideal combination when deploying applications that interact with real-world devices," says Phil Gerskovich, Zebra's senior VP of new growth platforms. "Zatar provides connectivity and management of devices like RFID readers or printer encoders that can be dispersed over many locations. Traxware provides the engine where business logic is built and executed.For customers of Traxware that use RFID, Zatar will make it easy to connect to and manage the physical devices." Gerskovich expects to see the TraxWare-Zatar solution become commercially available during the first half of 2014.
Ekahau's RTLS Reduces Emergency Response Times at Danish Elder-Care Center
Ekahau recently announced that its Wi-Fi-based, active RFID badges and location-tracking, mapping and messaging software have improved patient safety at the Skovhuset Elderly Care Apartment Center, located in Hillerød, Denmark. The Skovhuset apartment complex is managed by 135 employees and houses more than 100 elderly residents, as well as an outpatient day-care program. Residents wear Ekahau's wristband tags, which, together with Ekahau Vision software, helps caregivers locate residents on virtual, web-based floor plans. Caregivers use Motorola Wi-Fi phones that are tracked in the Ekahau system and can be used to trigger a panic alarm in the event of emergencies. The wristband tags also include a panic button that residents can push to instantly request help from the closest caregiver. Danish IT specialist Neuco IP installed the Ekahau real-time location system (RTLS) and integrated it with the facilities' existing alarm system, thereby routing text alerts to caregivers' Motorola phones.
NiceLabel Acquires Its North American Distributor, Niceware International
Euro Plus, the developer of the NiceLabel bar-code and RFID labeling software solutions, has acquired its American distributor, Niceware International. Niceware will be integrated into Euro Plus' NiceLabel global organization. Through its offices in United States, Europe and Asia, NiceLabel International will be able to offer expanded service and support to multinational enterprises and the NiceLabel global partner network. Having recently achieved Oracle validated integration, NiceLabel Americas will serve as the group's global center of excellence for Oracle solutions. In addition to being an Oracle Gold Partner, NiceLabel is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, and is also SAP-certified. Euro Plus, based in Southern Europe with subsidiaries in Germany and Asia, says that NiceLabel software and services are marketed through a wide range of channel partners throughout more than 140 countries, and that some of the world's largest organizations rely on NiceLabel to achieve label and brand consistency, secure centralized control and meet regulatory requirements. Niceware International works with printer and mobile device manufacturers, software publishers, system integrators, and data-capture solution companies. Its RFID partners include Alien Technology and Avery Dennison.
Nor-Lea Hospital District to Enhance Patient Flow via Versus RTLS
Nor-Lea Hospital District, a nonprofit, community-based health-care organization, is adopting Versus Advantages clinic and emergency department (ED) patient flow solutions from Versus Technology. Nor-Lea owns and operates Nor-Lea General Hospital, the Nor-Lea Cancer Center, Nor-Lea Home Medical and several clinics serving New Mexico's Lea County and surrounding areas, which are seeing rapid population growth thanks to a recent boom in oil and gas exploration. The population on the last census increased by 16 percent in the county, according to David Shaw, Nor-Lea Hospital District's CEO, and is expected to increase by a further 16 to 20 percent due to the economy. Two years ago, he says, Nor-Lea's facilities received 32,000 clinic visits, and he expects 56,000 to 57,000 visits this year in the same physical space. The Advantages solutions, powered by Versus' real-time locating system (RTLS), track patients and monitor interactions with staff members via small, lightweight badges that emit low-powered infrared and RFID signals. Through rules-based automation and integration with Nor-Lea's CPSI electronic health record (EHR), laboratory and scheduling systems, Shaw hopes his emergency department and attached medical clinic will be able to serve patients more quickly and thereby reduce wait times. With the Versus system, he explains, the ED and clinic will know where patients are located, how long they have been waiting, when wait times exceed pre-established benchmarks, which ancillary services have been ordered and which services are ready, as well as which patients are ready to see a provider, which rooms are available, assigned or in need of cleaning, where patients and caregivers should go next and where personnel are located at any given time. Nor-Lea plans to launch the Advantages RTLS solutions for the emergency department and clinic this month, and hopes to eventually expand the system's use hospital-wide.
