Jan 19, 2023RFID Journal LIVE! 2023 will feature end-user companies discussing RFID's use in various industries, as well as numerous exhibitors offering tagging solutions. To learn more, visit the event's website.
- CenTrak Offers RFID Healthcare Workflow Software
- Paragon ID Acquires RTLS Company UWINLOC
- AsReader Introduces Paddle-Type Reader
- Zebra Unveils Retail Technology Framework
- Kickstarter for NFC RFID Reader with Raspberry Pi
- RFID Company Mojix Announces New President
Presented here are recent news announcements in the radio frequency identification and Internet of Things industries.
CenTrak Offers RFID Healthcare Workflow Software
CenTrak has announced the launch of Workflow, its scalable, cloud-based platform that automates workflow and communications to reduce the manual documentation required for each phase of clinical care. Through the platform's built-in reporting, teams can keep tabs on patient-flow metrics to identify anomalies or bottlenecks. By leveraging historical metrics to empower process improvements, CenTrak reports, healthcare facilities have reduced patient wait times and increased care time with patients.
"After our start as an indoor location technology provider, we're thrilled to realize our long-term vision as a strategic, end-to-end solutions company that offers hardware, software, and professional services," said David Minning, CenTrak's president and CEO, in a prepared statement. "Workflow leverages our industry-leading RTLS and location sensors to ensure providers do not need to ask where their patients are in the care process, search rooms, or wait for manual status updates. Teams must be able to continuously measure interactions, such as patient volume, length of stay, room utilization, wait times, busiest windows, and time with providers to improve operations and monitor the impact of process changes."
Workflow automatically runs in the background, CenTrak indicates. Self-service kiosks allow patients to check in and activate their smart badges, replacing registration lines and improving workflow. A pre-configured HDMI stick turns monitors into display screens detailing estimated wait times and patient-status view boards. Automatic text messaging provides family members with updates regarding patient status and care progression, without a need for manual input, while staff views display the status and location of patients and provide automatic alerting of bottlenecks and extended wait times.
CenTrak says its goal is to improve clinical workflow for outpatient clinics, surgery centers, radiology departments, emergency departments and operating rooms. The Workflow system comes with pre-configured workflow templates that can be customized to meet the specific needs of each facility, the company reports, and facilities can also contract CenTrak's consulting services.
Paragon ID Acquires RTLS Company UWINLOC
RFiD Discovery has announced that its parent company, Paragon ID, has acquired UWINLOC, a French provider of indoor and outdoor tracking solutions that harvest energy to offer systems featuring batteryless ultra-wideband (UWB) tags and minimal infrastructure. The acquisition, according to RFiD Discovery, will allow the company to improve its asset- and inventory-tracking solutions for industrial markets with a real-time location system (RTLS) that requires no tag batteries, and to offer environmentally friendly tracking solutions.
UWINLOC provides integrated Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for the management of assets and inventory in warehouses and outdoor storage areas. It provides real-time location solutions using forklift-mounted readers, eliminating the need for fixed infrastructure. The company's MahVis system for the location visualization of materials-handling processes joins RFiD Discovery's existing product offering for the industrial sector, known as TrackSphere.
TrackSphere was developed by Tracktio, a Spanish technology company that RFiD Discovery acquired last year. The software-as-a-service platform is designed to be white-labelled, no-code-configurable and API-expandable. According to the company, it is suitable for applications in the manufacturing, construction, logistics and industrial sectors, and it can use data from a range of tracking technologies, such as active and passive RFID, as well as Wi-Fi, GPS, BLE, LoRa, UWB, Quuppa and optical identification.
"We are delighted to welcome UWINLOC as part of our growing RFiD Discovery team," said Arron Duddin, RFiD Discovery's smart solutions director, in a prepared statement. "The acquisition will help us enhance our existing tracking capabilities for intralogistics and production environments. Removing the need for fixed infrastructure will simplify the implementation of forklift-based tracking solutions for both our customers and global partner network. We are particularly excited about being able to provide accurate real-time tracking solutions without the need for battery-powered tags, taking away cost barriers to expanding systems and making our solutions more sustainable."
AsReader Introduces Paddle-Type Reader
As scanning technology becomes more sophisticated, some places where data lies hidden are difficult to reach, such as between metal shelves, near ceilings or out of reach on a truck, many feet off the ground. AsReader has thus announced its ASR-P252B Paddle-Type reader, which can be handheld or attached to a standard extension pole to read tags on products stored on high shelves, or on tall trucks, 20 or more feet off the ground.
The paddle mechanism can be set to avoid scanning stray tags or tags between a user and a target. The solution is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows, and it is intended for use with Bluetooth, or it can be hard-wired using USB-C. Chargeable with a magnetic charging cord or USB-C, the system is powered by a large, hot-swappable 3400-mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
"There are so many uses for everything from retail to logistics to transportation and even manufacturing," said Paul A. Whitney, AsReader's VP, in a prepared statement. "Narrow or high shelves in a store or warehouse are obvious, but not-so-obvious uses include situations like having a tall truck with RFID tagged pipes, but you only want to read the one tag on the highest pipe (without climbing up there). This scanner can be extended up to reach just that one tag you want to read and avoid the others."
Zebra Unveils Retail Technology Framework
Zebra Technologies has introduced what it calls "The Modern Store by Zebra," a framework designed to help retailers solve the challenges they face in operating stores. Backed by services and a global partner ecosystem, The Modern Store by Zebra framework is intended to help retailers engage associates, boost inventory accuracy and improve the customer experience.
According to the company, RFID technology can support the framework with regard to optimizing inventory, by improving on-shelf availability, modernizing in-store fulfillment and minimizing theft loss. Zebra says the framework can help store operations executives achieve rapid transformation post-pandemic by addressing retailers' pain points. This includes enabling shoppers to make easy returns, get into and out of stores quickly, order via delivery-to-home methods, and access self-service technologies such as self-checkout and cashless payment.
"Zebra is passionate about helping retailers globally empower associates with the right tools and information at the right time, and ensuring inventory is accurate and visible across all channels," said Yogesh Kulkarni, Zebra Technologies' VP of strategy, products and solutions, in a prepared statement. "The Modern Store by Zebra will help drive more engaged associates and optimized inventory to enable retailers to improve productivity and deliver a better customer experience. We're excited to collaborate with leading retailers, explore what modern means to them, and be the trusted solution provider that enables a new, bold way of thinking and working."
The Modern Store by Zebra incorporates mobile devices, communication and collaboration capabilities, workforce management and streamlined task-management solutions. The framework ensures inventory is accurate across all channels, the company explains, and that it is available and easy to locate in stores. The concept is intended to remove friction from critical inflection points to make shopping experiences easier and more enjoyable, from browsing to checkout and purchase. According to Zebra, the framework will help retailers execute their labor, inventory and customer experience plans.
The framework will leverage Zebra's PartnerConnect ecosystem, which includes more than 10,000 members throughout 100 countries, supported by integrations from Accenture, Google and Microsoft. Zebra's retail customers will have access to the Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace frontline worker collaboration platforms, and its portfolio of retail software solutions will be available at the Google Cloud marketplace.
Kickstarter for RFID-NFC Reader with Raspberry Pi
London-based technology enthusiast Ashish Kumar has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a device called ReadPi, a Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID reader powered by Raspberry Pi Pico W. The ReadPi reader comes in two variants: 125 KHz (read-only) and 13.56 MHz NFC (read- and write-capable). The device's operation is based on the use of radio waves to identify a specific RFID tag. The reader will emit a 125 KHz frequency through its coils, and if a 125 KHz passive RFID tag is within the frequency field, it will thus be powered.
The tags will contain a CMOS integrated circuit to ensure they are constantly powered. Once the tags receive information indicating they are in the same frequency range as the reader, they will use it and communicate it as storable data in a programmed memory. In this way, the reader will be able to quickly identify the tags. According to Kumar's Kickstarter description, the ReadPi reader can be used for theft protection, medical tags, robotics, inventory management, data authorization, e-ticketing for events and trains, race timing, vehicle access and other applications.
The ReadPi features a nine-pin configuration, with seven pins connected and two not. Additional features include an operating voltage of 4.5 to 5.5 volts, a current consumption power of 50mA, and an operating temperature range of 0 degrees to 80 degrees Celsius (32 degrees to 176 degrees Fahrenheit). It comes with integrated antennas and a reading circumference of 10 centimeters (3.9 inches), depending on tag location. For more information, visit the Kickstarter page.
RFID Company Mojix Announces New President
Mojix, an inventory management and supply chain traceability enterprise software-as-a-service platform provider, has announced that Chris Cassidy has become its president and chief commercial officer. In recent years, Mojix says it has recorded significant growth and improvements in revenue, customer expansion and product innovation, and so it has developed strategic partnerships for serialization, RFID and barcoding used by its food and beverage, luxury brand, manufacturing, industrial, aerospace and defense, and retail customers.
"Chris [Cassidy] joins Mojix with more than 20 years of executive leadership in various supply chain management roles," said Dan Doles, Mojix's CEO, in a prepared statement, "and brings deep-domain expertise and a stellar track record working with leading global enterprises on digital transformation and supply chain optimization. Chris is a recognized expert in supply chain management, logistics and enterprise supply chain SaaS solutions, across both customer operations, strategy, sales and marketing. We are excited to partner with Chris to further our long-term strategic vision and provide value to our customers as a best-in-class item-level traceability SaaS platform."
Cassidy said in the statement, "I am both humbled and honored to be named president and chief commercial officer of Mojix. I am excited to drive further acceleration of the company's growth as we continue to lead the industry in customer satisfaction, global program delivery and product innovation for end-to-end visibility and traceability." Previously, he was the executive VP and chief revenue officer at Trax Technologies, and he also held supply chain leadership positions at Gartner, UPS and GSK. Cassidy holds a BS degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech and an executive program certification in supply chain management from MIT.
"The aim is to continue leveraging the maturing serialization and RFID barcoding technology solutions with the purpose of driving smarter and intelligent insights," Cassidy added. "Through collaboration and innovation with our customers and strategic partners, our advances in bringing together the physical and financial data flows will empower global enterprise manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to improve visibility and traceability for optimized financial performance of their supply chain networks during these most uncertain of times. Our times require both an agile and resilient supply chain to manage cost-to-serve and inventory assets."
