When the Weckers, a Canadian farming family from Saskatchewan, visited Europe two years ago, they witnessed an RFID-based child-safety system for protecting children or pets from the hazards of farm-operated machinery and vehicles. Upon returning home, the family learned that the technology would not meet Canadian RFID regulations, and that it was also priced too high. After discussing the technology with two other farming families in their community—with one family member having an electrical engineering background—the Weckers decided to start their own company, in order to develop an inexpensive solution for North American users.
This summer, the three families’ new company, known as Prairie Tech Enterprises, is testing a prototype of the solution, dubbed WhereAbouts, and intends to market it later this year to farmers, as well as to individuals who make deliveries to farms. The system’s hardware was designed for the application by RFID Canada, a firm based in Markham, Ontario, near Toronto. WhereAbouts features an active RFID wristband worn by children or pets, which transmits to readers installed on vehicles. When a vehicle comes within range of a wristband tag, the interrogator receives an alert and flashes a warning light, while also sounding an alarm. The driver can then stop the vehicle and ensure that the area is clear before proceeding.
The solution is designed to prevent the types of accidents that can sometimes prove fatal for those in the vicinity of farm equipment—whether small children playing, or pets that may wander into a dangerous area. Most farms not only have their own machinery to worry about, but also delivery trucks bringing equipment and supplies, or picking up milk or other farm products on a regular basis.
To determine whether the company’s patent-pending WhereAbouts system would prevent accidents, Prairie Tech’s partners are currently testing the prototype in farm settings, according to Wendy Wecker, one of the company’s cofounders. The proprietary active 433 MHz RFID tag is approximately the length and width of a watch, though twice the thickness. The tag is mounted on a flexible plastic band that can be attached to a child’s wrist or belt loop, or fastened to a pet’s collar.
A battery-powered RFID reader (which Prairie Tech Enterprises calls a receiver) is attached to the windshield of a farm vehicle with a plastic suction cup, says Bob Moroz, RFID Canada’s president, and is designed to be portable so that a driver could move the device from one piece of machinery to another. To date, Wecker reports, the testing has found that the tags can be read within about 200 feet if there is a clear line of sight with a receiver, and approximately 150 feet if the tag’s signal must pass through the wall of a barn or some other building.
When a vehicle’s reader comes within range of a tag’s transmission, its built-in software triggers an alert, says Geoff Vallance, another Prairie Tech cofounder. If this occurs, the device flashes a warning light and emits an audible alarm. It is then up to the driver to determine where the tag wearer is located before proceeding. Once the reader moves beyond the tag’s read range, the alert ceases.
Thus far, one delivery company has agreed to try the WhereAbouts system, with a reader installed in that company’s delivery truck, and tags worn by children or adults working on farms operated by Prairie Tech’s cofounders. Wecker envisions delivery companies purchasing the solution and providing tags to customers who have small children. The technology is designed to be inexpensive, she says—a reader is expected to cost C$350 (US$352), while each tag will be C$100 (US$100).
The system is expected to become commercially available by early fall of this year, Vallance says, and will be sold on Prairie Tech Enterprise’s Web site. The solution may also be made available by agricultural equipment dealers, Wecker notes.