The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations: Altoros; Hanmi IT; Dolphin RFID, Esbee Dynamed; Harting RFID; INTACS Industrial Training; Feig Electronics; and
Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Altoros Joins Smart Airline Baggage Management Testbed
Software developer Alteros has announced that it is participating in an RFID-enabled testbed for the airline industry. The Smart Airline Baggage Management Testbed, first announced in June 2016, will employ a range of RFID, Bluetooth, cellular and Wi-Fi baggage tags and baggage-tracking devices. These electronic tags will be deployed in smart tags, smart luggage, permanent and reusable bag tags, airport luggage carts and across the baggage ecosystem, the company reports.
The initiative aims to increase the ability of airlines to track baggage, preventing theft and loss. The testbed includes General Electric (GE), M2Mi and Oracle as lead members. The testbed, part of a broader aviation ecosystem vision, was formed within the non-profit Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC).
The system developed by the testbed participants is designed to track a bag from check-in to delivery using RFID tags and a range of wireless devices. The solution will associate luggage with passengers and flights, track baggage location through GPS in real time and generate alerts if, for example, a bag is located where it should not be, or if there is a weight change in a bag.
Alexey Khizhnyak, Altoros’ director of technical evangelism, says his company’s involvement centers on a prototype for the testbed that monitors the location of a bag that has an RFID tag on it. Altoros worked with GE to create the prototype, which uses GE’s Predix application platform, made for building and operating apps for the Industrial Internet. The cloud-based Predix serves as the platform for the tracking system overall.
An app for the prototype can display data regarding a bag’s location for airline personnel and for passengers, according to Khizhnyak. “In case the baggage is lost, or ready for collecting by a passenger at the destination airport,” he says, “notifications are sent via SMS or e-mail.”
Joining GE’s and Altoros’ efforts are Oracle, which will provide apps built on its Oracle Airline Data Model (OADM), Oracle BI and Oracle CX, as well as M2Mi, which will provide machine-to-machine and Internet of Things device management, data handling and in-stream analytics to connect edge devices to the platform apps.
According to Altoros, the testbed is also aimed at helping airlines address the new requirements set out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Resolution 753, which requires that more comprehensive solutions for baggage handling be implemented by June 2018.
A demonstration of the system’s components will be conducted in Spain on Oct. 24 during the Industrial Internet Forum Barcelona. Altoros will showcase its baggage-tracking prototype there as well, Khizhnyak says.
Hanmi IT Launches RF-Prisma Handheld Reader
Hanmi IT has launched RF Prisma, a new RFID reader suitable for individually identifying stacked items, with a read range of up to 7 meters (23 feet). The reader supports the ISO-18000-6C and EPC Gen 2 RFID specifications.
Designed to be ergonomic, the new reader is compact, weighing 220 grams (7.8 ounces) and measuring 171 millimeters by 117 millimeters by 40 millimeters (6.7 inches by 4.6 inches by 1.6 inches). It uses Impinj‘s Indy R2000 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 reader chipset, according to Hanmi IT, and offers a read rate of up to 800 tags per second.
The read range is enhanced by the combination of the reader’s linearly beam-forming antenna and 30dBm RF output, and supports the Bluetooth 4.1 protocol (the latest Bluetooth technology for communication). The reader contains 8 megabits of internal memory, comes in a wide selection of colors, and has such additional features as auto sleep mode and up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) of waterproofing to protect circuits. A bar-code add-on module is available.
The RF-Prisma reader is available now.
Dolphin RFID, Esbee Dynamed Offer Equipment-Tracking Solutions for Hospitals
Dolphin RFID, a provider of end-to-end RFID solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Esbee Dynamed, a supplier of medical and surgical equipment in India. The two companies report that they are delivering solutions based on best practices and RFID to enable seamless tracking and management of surgical equipment and medical devices in markets such as India.
The specific areas identified for immediate implementation are in the areas of surgical instruments and medical device management, according to the two companies. Through the collaboration, the partners are bringing into India best practices similar to those established by the unique device identification (UDI) tracking mandate from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By tagging surgical instruments and medical devices, hospitals will be able to track vital devices used during surgical procedures within a matter of seconds, the companies explain, thereby leading to improved patient safety. RFID will facilitate the ability to track other important medical devices, in order to enable immediate access during emergencies.
The two companies already have surgical instruments and equipment tracking solutions available. According to Suresh Sawhney, Dolphin RFID’s president and CEO, the surgical equipment tracking solution uses RFID tags from Xerafy with autoclaving-certified glue and processes. For tracking other hospital equipment, the solution uses tags provided by Confidex, Omni ID, Tvasta and Syndicate Group. The readers are supplied by ThingMagic, Hanmi IT and Embisphere, with reader antennas from Times-7. Different solutions will utilize these in various combinations, Sawhney says.
According to Sawhney, the partnership is working to utilize Esbee Dynamed’s strengths in the health-care sector with Dolphin RFID’s strengths and international footprint, in order to capture the market for vibrant and growing sector in India. “Most of the top hospitals in India are now recognized internationally by medical insurance companies,” he states, “and thus provide ‘medical tourism,’ which is egging them on to become more efficient by using technology such as RFID.”
Dolphin and Esbee Dynamed also plan to leverage the technology in such areas as patient management (both in-patient and out-patient), bed tracking, asset tracking, the management of files and records, and vehicle management.
Harting, INTACS Partner on RFID-enabled Warehouse Training Rig
Harting has teamed up with INTACS Industrial Training to create a warehouse training system that employs radio frequency identification. INTACS, a U.K.-based provider of training on industrial control systems equipment, works with equipment manufacturers, including Harting, to provide programmable logic controller (PLC), automation and electrical training. Harting’s Ha-VIS RFID products are key elements in the INTACS Hi-Bay system, according to the two companies. The solution is used as a training rig to illustrate how RFID can replace bar coding for capturing product information using easily programmable and flexible RFID technology linked to industry standard PLCs.
The Hi-Bay training system consists of a nine-bay warehouse system that is fed via a high-speed crane from an integral load-unload station. Harting ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID transponder tags are affixed to various products, which are placed on pallets for storage. The load-unload station houses a Harting RFID antenna. As a loaded pallet passes through the station, the RFID product information is read and transmitted to a Harting Ha-VIS RFID RF-R300 system and sent over an Ethernet link to a Siemens S7-ET200S I/O module. The HARTING Ha-VIS RFID reader, compatible with Harting’s GS1 EPCglobal-certified Ha-VIS middleware, can communicate directly with the S7-1500 PLC controlling the Hi-Bay warehouse, according to the companies, or via the input-output module located remotely and networked wirelessly or via either PROFINET or PROFIBUS.
During a recent demonstration showcasing the training system in a warehouse rig, product information was transferred from the Harting RFID transponder attached to the product via the antenna to the Ha-VIS RFID reader, and then via PROFINET to the PLC. The PLC was programmed using the latest TIA-Portal STEP7 software, and the program allocated an appropriate empty bay to house the goods loaded on the pallet. The integral high-speed crane then picked up the loaded pallet and delivered it to the selected storage bay. The product ID and details stored on the RFID transponder were transferred to data blocks in the PLC’s memory, which tracks and records stock in the Hi-Bay warehouse. A Siemens KTP color HMI touchscreen provided a graphical view of the types of products in the Hi-Bay warehouse’s storage bays. The HMI was connected by PROFINET to the PLC, enabling operators to select a product to be removed from the Hi-Bay and delivered back out to the load-unload station.
From there, a Hi-Bay crane was sent to pick the pallet from the selected storage bay and transport it, along with the products loaded onto it, to the load-unload station. As the pallet and goods were moved back through the load-unload station, the RFID tag ID and product details were re-transmitted to the Harting Ha-VIS RFID reader, transferred over PROFINET to the S7-1500 PLC, and compared with the selected product code, in order to ensure that the correct product was picked.
INTACS Industrial Training works closely with a number of leading equipment manufacturers, including Harting, to provide PLC, automation and electrical training to original equipment manufacturers and end users. INTACS can provide training regarding the use of RFID technology, as well as the implementation of RFID into such control systems as the Hi-Bay application.
Feig Electronics Establishes Six-Year Warranty for RFID Readers
Feig Electronics Inc. has announced a six-year warranty designed to offer companies greater assurances regarding the reliability of the RFID products they purchase from Feig, and to assure longer-term support for Feig product users.
Headquartered in Duluth, Ga., Feig Electronics internally develops and manages all products and services related to the RFID business segment of Feig Electronic GmbH to the North American market. The new warranty—active six years from the date of shipment—applies to all Feig RFID readers, including classic, classic pro, i-scan HF, i-scan UHF and myAXXESS, purchased in the United States on or after May 1, 2016.
Feig customers have six months from the date of purchase to visit warranty.feig-electronics.com, register their Feig RFID readers and activate the warranty.
The warranty states that the products are warranted by Feig Electronics to be free from defects in material and workmanship, as well as from operational failure due to normal wear and tear. Customers must register the product at the above site to activate the warranty.
Feig will either repair the device or ship a replacement of the same model to the customer—or, if such a model is no longer available, it will ship the model with the closest similarity in features and capabilities. If a model is substituted, Feig will outline any price differences not covered by the warranty terms. It will ship the repaired or replacement product to any destination in the United States specified by the customer. The return shall be at the customer’s expense and risk, with transportation prepaid, and the customer must obtain a return authorization number from Feig prior to returning the product.
The warrant does not apply to any defects or failures resulting from damage occurring during shipment; improper storage, installation, or maintenance; accident, alteration, misuse or modification; use of the identification product beyond Feig’s prescribed limits; corrosion to metal other than to stainless steel; mechanical, chemical or thermal caused damage; fault or negligence on the part of the customer; or fire or any act of God, including, but not limited to, flood, earthquake, wind or lightning.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital Adopts RFID-enabled Surgical Kit Inventory System
Harland Simon has announced that its RFiD Discovery inventory-management system has helped optimize stock-holding and minimize waste as part of a kitting service for surgeries at the United Kingdom’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (CUH). Using the RFID system has helped Addenbrooke’s to centralize and streamline the management of supplies, Harland Simon reports, enabling nurses to focus more time on patient care.
Addenbrooke’s is utilizing the RFiD Discovery solution to track items used in operations via a passive RFID label attached to the plastic tote used to hold the items comprising a kit. The solution automatically feeds usage data back into CUH’s inventory database, according to Harland Simon, thereby ensuring accurate inventory recording and reliable replenishment.
According to Harland Simon, CUH is believed to be the first trust in the United Kingdom to introduce a central theater kitting service using RFID technology. CUH now prepares approximately 100 to 120 kits per day for elective procedures, as well as 50 for emergency and contingency kits. Centralized stock-holding eliminates the need for each theater area to stock items that may be required. Because the kitting process is carried out by a central kitting team, the company explains, nurses need not leave the theater areas to collate materials, which means they can spend more time looking after patients.
All supplies that theater personnel require for a procedure is placed on a patient-specific tote box containing a passive RFID tag so that it can be uniquely identified. Each item’s bar code is scanned during the picking process using an RFID Discovery handheld scanner gun, which receives a full list of items that have been issued for the particular kit. To speed up the process of picking, Harland Simon says, the gun displays each item’s exact shelf location.
Once complete, each box is sealed via a security tag. To improve patient safety and ensure that all of the correct items are on hand during the operation, the system automatically prevents the tote’s completion until all items required have been picked and scanned. To help reduce waste, each kit contains only the items normally required during an operation.
“This system enables us to accurately capture the cost of each operation and at the same time allows clinical staff to focus on patient care delivery,” said Phillip Lapish, Addenbrooke’s Hospital’s supply chain manager, in a prepared statement. “The cost per operation is down by between 2.5 and 7.4 percent in the specialties where the solution was first deployed.”