I recently repainted the bathroom in my primary bedroom. The ceiling had mold growing on it, as did some of the shower caulking and seals. I scrubbed everything with Borax to kill the mold, primed the ceilings and walls with mold-resistant primer, and then repainted. It was a lot of work, and I was concerned that the mold would grow back, so I installed an exhaust fan with a humidity sensor.
Conventional exhaust fans are only as good as the people who use them. My sons are prone to forgetting to turn the fan on when they shower, but a fan with a humidity sensor gets around that problem by turning on automatically if the humidity reaches a certain level. I love this solution, and while it is not a true Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the humidity sensor is similar to how many IoT solution work, since it monitors the environment, reacts automatically and reduces the chance for human error.
RFID enables companies to monitor a whole host of physical activities. For example, if a tagged shipment fails to arrive when it is supposed to, or if it arrives at the wrong location, managers can receive an immediate alert. If work-in-process spends too long at a particular station, managers can be notified. If items are out of stock at a store, an RFID system could send an SMS text message to the store manager to address the issue.
Wireless sensors can monitor the conditions of assets and trigger alerts if certain conditions occur. For example, aerospace companies use wireless sensors to monitor the conditions of avionics; if too much moisture is detected in a shipping container, an alert can be sent to open the box and address the issue. Pharmaceutical manufacturers have been using RFID sensors to monitor the temperatures of drugs, including vaccines, to ensure they do not become too warm or cold, which could affect the efficacy of some medicines.
There are all kinds of sensors, some of which could have tremendous value. A few years ago, we wrote about a strain sensor that was built into the concrete walls of Seattle Rail Tunnels to detect the strain on rebar. These sensors could determine the soundness of a tunnel after an earthquake (see Contractors Use RFID Sensors to Measure Strain in Seattle Rail Tunnels).
With so many types of sensors, there are numerous applications that monitor the real world and send early warnings about impending problems. My mold issue was insignificant compared to the challenges of running a global supply chain, a network of factories, a chain of stores or a large transit operation. But I still sleep better knowing technology is addressing the issue. Wouldn’t you sleep better if RFID and IoT technologies were addressing yours?
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal.