RFID World 2008 Announcement Wrap-Up, Part 2 of 2

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This week's RFID World 2008 conference in Las Vegas saw a handful of announcements from the vendors at the show. This recap is the second of our two-part series wrapping up those announcements. See yesterday's for the rest of the announcements.

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Sep 11, 2008This article was originally published by RFID Update.

September 11, 2008—This week's RFID World 2008 conference in Las Vegas saw a handful of announcements from the vendors at the show. The recap below is the second of our two-part series wrapping up those announcements. See yesterday's RFID World 2008 Announcement Wrap-Up, Part 1 of 2 for the rest of the announcements.

  • The non-profit RFID Educational Foundation has formed the RFID in Healthcare Consortium to educate the healthcare industry on deployment methods and best practices. The group held its first invitation-only meeting at RFID World on September 9. Attendees were scheduled to include Ken Baker, CEO of NewAge AdvantaPure; Daniel Sands, President and CEO of Solstice Medical; John C. Shoemaker, President of Shipcom Wireless; and John Stevens, Chairman of Visible Assets. Read the announcement here.
     
  • Ekahau introduced four new WiFi tags for real-time location system (RTLS) applications. All four tags support two-way communication and remote tag management across any type of WiFi network. The tags include: T301BD with WiFi pager functionality, enabling users to send messages, status updates and alarms; T301i, a locatable industrial tag with two-way signaling and a call button for plant-floor replenishment and service request systems; T301T, which has an integrated temperature sensor and support for an optional remote platinum temperature probe with a measurement range of -200C to +200C; and T301Ex, designed for use on oil and gas rigs and in petrochemical refineries and chemical plants. See the full release here.
     
  • An international automotive manufacturer in Indiana has implemented the Material Flow: Replenishment 2.0 solution from Zebra Technologies' WhereNet subsidiary. The solution combines RFID technology with WhereNet's software to provide facility-wide visibility across manufacturing operations so that manufacturers and suppliers can respond in real time to changes in inventory. The manufacturer (unnamed by WhereNet) in this case manages 750 parts across 1.5 million square feet of facility space. More information here.
     
  • The RF-HCT-WRC5-KP221 contactless chip from Texas Instruments is designed for closed-loop contactless micropayment, loyalty, ID and access applications. The ISO/IEC 14443 Type B chip includes configurable memory that supports up to five applications (such as secure identification or loyalty programs) on one contactless card or token. The company is also offering the TRF796x reader IC for contactless applications. Read the release.
     
  • The Confidex Steelwave Micro passive UHF RFID tag is an on-metal tag that can be used to track IT assets and other high-value equipment. The tags have a read range of 2.5 to 3 meters and a small footprint of just 38mm by 13mm.
     
  • MIKOH has released Smart&Secure for retail applications, an item-level mobile phone tracking and inventory management system that uses RFID at point-of-sale sites in retail store and kiosk locations. RFID-equipped handheld devices and smart shelves can help prevent theft of mobile phones incorporating the Inform Smart&Secure pressure-sensitive labels. More information here.
     
  • Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove, Georgia, have implemented AeroScout's Unified Asset Visibility solutions to improve campus security. Lincoln is using T3 WiFi-based active RFID tags and its Cisco Unified Wireless Network to track school equipment such as television cameras, portable digital video recorders and maintenance equipment. If an item leaves its predetermined zone, an alert is sent to the university's IT department. Strong Rock, on the other hand, is using AeroScout T2 tags to track the location of visitors in real time. See the full release here.
     
  • Wireless Dynamics has released the OtterBox 1951 Defender Case rugged enclosure for its SDiD read/write secure digital RFID card family and Motorola's MC35 handheld computer. The enclosure includes a thermal-formed, clear membrane to protect against scratching, dust and water; a high-impact polycarbonate with a scratch-resistant camera lens; and an outer layer of soft silicone to absorb shock. The company's SDiD cards convert PDAs and smart phones into portable RFID readers. Read the release.
     
  • Intermec's CK3 mobile computer includes an RFID reader option, along with support for bar code scanning, VoIP communications, speech recognition, and Bluetooth wireless communications. Designed for warehouse operations, the CK3 is based on Windows Mobile 6.1 and will begin shipping in late October. See the release here.
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